Get ready for two huge nights of Gisborne club basketball.
From 5.45pm at the YMCA this evening, women's competition tips off with the A Grade playoff for fifth between Dem Air Ballers and Gisborne Girls' High School, to be followed by the A Grade 1 v 4 (Ngati Porou vStretchmarks) and 2 v 3 (Manu Tu v Lytton HS) semifinals. At the John McFarlane Memorial Sports Centre - from 5.45pm - Manu Toa will play Riverina in the 2 v 3 B Grade semi with competition leaders SE Systems v fourth-placed Horouta to follow.
Tomorrow night at the YMCA will be a full one. The men's B grade having been divided into two five-team tiers, Game 1 is a top tier 2 v 3 semi between Big Baller Brand and Campion College. That will be followed by the six-team A Grade playoff for fifth between the Filthy Dozen and Dialektric, before the A Grade 1 v 4 (SE Systems v Gisborne BHS) and 2 v 3 (City Lights v Green up) semis.
At the Sports Centre, the teams placed fifth in the respective B Grade tiers (GBHS B and Backcourt Violators) will play off for ninth spot at 5.45pm, to be followed by second-tier 2 v 3 (Gizzy Gilas v Old Surfers), second-tier 1 v 4 (GBHS Juniors v Lytton HS) and finally the top tier 1 v 4 semi pitting the Massive Marauders against the Bumbles.
This feast of club ball will be run by GBA chairman Dwayne Tamatea, marshals Catherine Kepa, Adrian Sparks, Amoe Tarsau and their small army of scorers and referees. All of the above have done an outstanding job in a manic season, to be topped off by the finals and Grand final next week.
Previewing tonight's action: Gisborne Girls' High School has seen some players ascend under Tamatea as coach. Peyton Riri has been superb. Her enthusiasm mirrors that of her brother Daley, whose quickness and improvement as a guard for Gisborne Boys' High School in the men's A Grade has been just as impressive this season.
Kiara Swannell is coming off a 17 point-game in the Ballers' 43-22 win against Stretchmarks: Girls' High will need to keep an eye on her. Reigning women's champions Ngati Porou under Bronya McMenamin will look to hustle against Stretchmarks, and not let the powerful veterans settle in the halfcourt. If Ngati Porou were to make that mistake, Stretchmarks' Dyani Johnson and company are the best-equipped team in the league close to the basket. Lytton High School won a low-scoring thriller 25-22 v Manu Tu last week at the Sports Centre: tonight, in 2 v 3, Manu Tu will look to get their numbers up. Jamieson Tapsell and Ishtar Mackey-Huriwai both played well to score seven points each, yet to have two players in double-figures this evening might be enough to see them through to a berth in the women's A Grade final v Ngati Porou.
Arihia Turei and Taimarie Matahiki scored 20 and 16 points respectively for Manu Toa in a tough loss to SE Systems last Thursday - SES took the honours 43-38 - but they give Manu Toa's offence real teeth.
