We begin this week’s roundup by congratulating the players who have been named to the Junior Tall Blacks squad to compete at the 2025 FIBA U19 World Cup in Switzerland next month as 10 of the 12 players selected have featured in the Rapid League:
Jackson Ball & Kahu Treacher (both Hawks), Will Blight, Lachie Crate, Hayden Jones (all Giants), Carter Hopoi & Xander Marsters (both Whai), Tama Isaac (Rams), Troy Plumtree (Saints), Josh Wyllie (Tuatara)
Now to the on court action where in the opening game of the round Amohia Te Waiora Tauranga Whai saw their winning run come to an end as their young lineup was beaten 39-28 by a more experienced Taranaki Steeelformers Airs in Tauranga on Thursday.
Early on it looked promising for the Whai as teenage forward Ky-Mani Kaumoana scored all their points as they opened a 9-6 lead.
The Airs would hit back through Geordie Hoeata and Riley Tuuata, headed for a season high 13 points, to lead 21-15 at half-time.
A solitary Xanda Marsters three was all the Whai could muster in the third as they fell further behind to trail 28-18 at the last break.
Marsters made a couple more from deep in the final frame but 5 points in the spell from Tuuta and a timely three from Cameron Quinnell saw the Airs breeze to victory.
Amohia Te Waiora Tauranga Whai 28 – Marsters 13pts, Kaumoana 11pts, 4rebs & 3a
Taranaki Steeelformers Airs 39 – Tuuta 13pts, Hoeata 10pts & 5rebs, Quinnell 9pts & 6rebs, Gerrand 4a
On Friday Night the top of the Rapid table Giants would visit the Hawks and jump out to a 7 point quarter-time lead behind a scoring push from Hayden Jones and Lachlan Crate powered the visitors to a 12 point quarter. Kahu Treacher would take advantage of his season debut to the tune of 8 second quarter points, closing the gap to a single bucket before Hayden Jones replied with a triple to take a 4-point halftime advantage.
Kobe Kara would score 5 straight to open the third, giving the Hawks just their second lead of the day, but the Giants would respond with 9 consecutive points in response, the last 4 by Crate to take a commanding 8 point lead. But the Hawks had another come back in them, and tied the game on an Ezrah Eagle finish giving the home crowd hope. But Nelson's Jones would find his way to 6 straight points, 4 from the stripe, before a Crate dunk sealed the 6 point win.
Total Energies Hawks - 28 - Kahu Treacher 12pts &2rbs, Kobe Kara 7pts, 3rbs, $ 2a, Ryder Moore 5pts
NBS Nelson Giants - 34 - Hayden Jones 14pts, 5rbs, & 4a, Lachlan Crate 12pts, 3rbs, 1 blk, Sam Dempster 6pts & 5rbs
The Tuatara would visit the Paddock hoping to get back in the winners column as the home side Rams were looking add to a winning streak to keep apace of the ladder leaders. A slow scoring first half in which neither team led by more than a bucket was highlighted by Tama Isaac scoring 7 of his teams 12 points to grab 2 point halftime lead. The second half was a different story as Mana Martin and Jake Holmes dominated play with efficient scoring, with Holmes of particular note as he grabbed the seasons first 3x5 (5 or more Points, Rebounds & Assists) as the Rams would hold the visitors at bay for a 34-26 win.
Auckland Tuatara - 26 - Dylan Wilkie 7pts & 3rbs, Chris Mcintosh 5pts, 1rb & 1a
BBQ’s Direct Canterbury Rams -34 - Jake Holmes 13pts, 5rbs & 5a, Mana Martin 12pts & 2stls, Tama Isaac 7pts & 1 blk
Regional rivalry heated up as the Jets traveled south to the capital as both teams looked to bounce back from losses with just returned Sam Gold opening up the scoring for the home side. As 4-6 shooting from the stipe from the home eam and 5 first quarter points from the Jets Josh Crowley had the score knotted at 8. Three triples for the road team in the second quarter, 2 by Thata-Paese, were just enough to keep pace with the Saints as Lukah Richards abnd Kazlo Evans Jr combined for 10 of the teams 12 points in the quarter as they secured a 20-18 lead. Thata-Paese did the bulk of the scoring in the third as well, and a free throw with 21 seconds left in the quarter had things tied up, but than a Hassanb Munir and 1 enabled the Saints to rise back to the lead 29-26 heading into the final term. But the Jets ran out of fuel in the 4th, mustering just 4 points as they went 0-6 from deep, allowing Evans Jr's aggression to power the Saints home to victory.
Property Brokers Manawatu Jets - 30 - Tyson Thata-Paese 15pts, 1stl & 2rbs, Josh Crowley 6pts, 1stl, 1blk & 4rbs
Mills Albert Pathways Wellington Saints - 36 - Kazlo Evans Jr 17pts, 4rbs & 1a, Lukah Richards 8pts, 1stl, 1blk & 4rbs, Hassan Munir 5pts, & 1rb
Sunday first game brought the table topping Giants to bear for the second time of the week as they looked to continue their winning streak, facing a Bulls squad that had won 2 of 3 and was looking to reach .500 with a win. The game got off to slow start but heated up in the 2nd quarter as the teams traded buckets that would produce 5 lead changes before a Peyton Hughes three gave the Bulls a 4 point halftime lead, their largest of the game. The Giants defense produced in the 3rd quarter, holding the Bulls to 5 points, as a balanced Nelson attack would storm back to take a 4 point lead heading into the 4th. An opening possession three from Zion Anderson made the deficit just one at 21-22, but 7 straight by Nelson capped by a Aston Inwood lay up would put the game out of reach as the Giants cruised home to a 32-25 point win.
NBS Nelson Giants -32- Hayden Jones 10pts, 7rbs, 2a & 3blks, James Matthews 8pts, 2stls & 3rbs, Aston Inwood 6pts, 2a, 1stl, 2blks & 7rbs
Franklin Bulls -25- Payton Hughes 9pts & 2rbs, KC Nwafor 8pts, 1rb, 1stl & 1blk, Zion Anderson 5pts & 5rbs
In the Final game of the round the bottom of the table Sharks were hoping to put an end to their losing streak and would have held hope after a solid first quarter effort found the home team down just a single point against their southern rival Nuggets. But in the second quarter a democratic offensive attack combined with a stingy defense that gave up just 6 points, including a momentum lifting Quake Webster buzzer beater following a player timeout, to grab a 22-13 halftime lead. A Matthew Bardsley jumper stretched the lead out to 13, but the Nuggets would find just 2 more points in the quarter as Tukaha Cooper 6 points in the quarter helped get the Sharks close enough that a comeback was in the realm of possibility with the Nuggets leading 28-21. The fourth quarter found a bit more pace as both teams hit double digits, but with the Sharks would get no closer than 6 points as the Nuggets took home the win giving Southland their Rapid worst 10th loss of the season.
Night ‘n Day Otago Nuggets -39 - Matthew Bardsley 10pts, 1rb & 3ast, Mac Stodart 9pts, 6rbs & 3a,
Southland Sharks -31- Tukaha Cooper 10pts, 1rb &3a, Dane Bertinshaw 6pts 1a & 3rbs, Hayden Collier 6pts & 2a, Christian Martin 9pts, 1a & 3rbs
Rapid Ladder
10-2 Giants
9-3 Saints
8-4 Whai
6-4 Rams
8-5 Nuggets
6-7 Hawks
4-5 Panthers
5-7 Bulls
4-7 Airs
4-8 Tuatara
4-9 Jets
2-10 Sharks
