The Southland Sharks look primed and ready for their biggest test of the 2019 Sal's NBL season - a Semi Final showdown with the all conquering Wellington Saints is ahead of them and the good news for Sharks fans is that their team will go to Christchurch in some good form.
After a strong start and win against the Huskies a week earlier, the Sharks again jumped out of the gates with gusto against the Manawatu Jets and by the time they delivered a 45pt second quarter the contest was well and truly over. The end result was a thumping 40pt win over the disappointing Jets.
Jarrad Weeks (20pts) did the bulk of the early damage with the Jets having no answer for Southland's running game. The 73-41 half-time score perfectly summed up the dominance that had been on display and if the Sharks can carry that confidence into next Saturday's game at Horncastle Arena they will give their title defence a good shake.
Adding salt to the wounds for the Jets was the ejection of Wally Ellenson in the third quarter when the exciting American picked up his second technical foul for the game and had to vacate the court for an early shower.
The final 123-83 score was even better for the Sharks when you look at their very even distribution of minutes. The home team also enjoyed a 68-36 win on the boards and a whopping 30 assists.
Southland Sharks 123 defeated Manawatu Jets 83
Sharks - Dom Kelman-Poto 23pts & 14rbs, Jarrad Weeks 20pts, Tai Wynyard 16pts & 11rbs, Hyrum Harris 15pts, Roberto Nelson 8pts & 10ast.
Jets - Daishon Knight 23pts, Jackson Stubbins 17pts, Wally Ellenson 15pts.
Stats That Matter - wins everywhere for the Sharks topped by 72pts in the paint and 58pts off the bench. The Sharks are primed for the Final 4.
TAB MVP Votes - Dom Kelman-Poto (Sharks) 9, Jarrad Weeks (Sharks) 8, Daishon Knight (Jets) 7, Jackson Stubbins (Jets) 4, Hyrum Harris (Sharks) 1, Tai Wynyard (Sharks) 1.
