Basketball: Tauranga impress but stall in semis

Jayden Bezzant made the All Star Five at the championships. Photo / Supplied

A youthful Tauranga City team performed with distinction at the inaugural National Basketball Championships held in Porirua last weekend.

Tauranga lost to Southland 73-84 in a competitive semifinal.

Southland always had the upper hand without blowing out the well-performed Tauranga lineup. The Southlanders led 21-13 after the first quarter but Tauranga reduced the deficit to just four to trail 40-36 at halftime.

Just five points were in it after the third quarter but Southland stretched their advantage to be ahead by 11 at the final hooter.

The best for Tauranga were the teenage pairing of Jayden Bezzant, 18, and Adam McQueen, 19, but for the first time their side were halted in their attempts to run the floor.

Earlier in the tournament, Tauranga were the most impressive team and were the only side to carry a perfect three-from-three record into the semifinals after a comprehensive dismantling of an Auckland side stacked with NBL players.

Tauranga's offensive organisation proved too strong in the 114-93 victory over the Aucklanders. They were led by McQueen (25) and Bezzant (23) in passing the century mark for the second time in the pool games.

Bezzant was honoured by being named in the tournament All Star Five alongside Nico Buckrell (Hutt Valley), Brook Ruscoe (Porirua), Kevin Braswell (Southland) and Izayah Mauriohooho-Le'afa (Hutt Valley) in a guard-dominated lineup.

Voting was done after each game on a 3-2-1 basis, with coaches voting on the opposition team's players.

Hutt Valley dominated the final, defeating Southland 101-74.