Both clubs stretched to limits at premier-grade basketball final

CHAMPIONS: Green Up won the premier-grade men’s basketball final at the YMCA last night, beating SE Systems 62-53. Green Up are, back (from left): Tyrese Tuwairua-Brown, Darius Waititi-Leach, Adam Nepe and Luke Wilson. Front: Kahn Grayson, Karlyle Te Maari and Holden Wilson. Picture by Paul Rickard

Hands up — who loves basketball?

Last night’s premier-grade men’s grand final at the YMCA had both clubs stretched almost beyond endurance in front of the smallest house in Gisborne Basketball Association finals history.

That said, no one sat on the fence.

Green Up avenged their loss on the code’s greatest stage here in 2020 with a 62-53 victory v SE Systems and this grand final, though held under Delta Level 2 restrictions, didn’t want for athleticism, passion . . . or physicality.

Green Up beat the Adrian Sparks-led Systems 59-58 on Opening Night, May 10 of this year while SES won the next clash between these two superpowers of club ball 74-68 on August 3. SES v Green Up is always a bruising proposition and in the showpiece showdown yesterday evening, Green Up’s Kahn Grayson was the star turn.

Grayson scored 13 points, Tyrese Tuwairua-Brown and Holden Wilson both put up 20. Likewise Adam Nepe, who played with both Wilson and Green Up/then-Gisborne Boys’ High School captain Tuwairua-Brown at the National Tournament two years ago.

Nepe has had the unenviable task of combating SE big men Reg Namana and Rongomai Smith all season: Nepe was the key to containing both powerful, skilful veterans.

Smith (25) and Namana (nine pts) shouldered the scoring burden for Systems, yet though SES had four substitute players to Green Up’s two reserves, the younger team led 18-16, 31-27, 42-37 throughout.

From the opening tip, referees Keenan Ruru-Poharama and Clifton Blumfield were razor-sharp, without fear or favour: with three minutes to play in the first period, Blumfield called an over-the-back foul on SE’s Ethan Ngarangione-Pearson: Tuwairua-Brown, who had been shooting a five-footer right side on the baseline, made both free-throws for Green Up 9, SE 14.

50 years-plus whistle-blower Blumfield regularly officiates club ball with Ngarangione-Pearson, who is a NZ Level 2 referee.

The 16 -year-old Ngarangione-Pearson bounced back with a 25-foot shot for the lead at 14-12.

Smith made a classic move v hard-working Luke Wilson on the left baseline to tie the scores at 21-21, Tuwairua-Brown made a three-point play against Marques Tukukino for 25-23 to Green Up. These were two of a number of memorable first-half plays.

Such was the competitive nature of the contest that, with the scores tied at 27-27 in the second period, Namana - a true competitor and among the Rising Suns greatest warriors - picked up an unsportsmanlike foul from legendary referee Clifton Blumfield.

Namana later made a superb block on Grayson, who had cut down the baseline to score on the right side of the hoop with SE 31-29 up - but with SES 34-31 up, Namana then received a technical foul. As a result of the unsportsmanlike foul and technical foul combined, he was ejected from the game.

From that moment, the brains trust and senior players for SES rallied their troops, but Namana has been a tower of strength for every team he plays in and Smith’s workload at both ends of the floor increased.

Tuwairua-Brown — a member of only the second GBHS team to win the Grand Final, in 2019 — was a happy and proud man last night.

“That was a good game: it was aggressive basketball, in the first half especially, the most physical game we played this year,” he said. “We’ve loved this season.”

SE Systems club captain Adrian Sparks was blown away by Kahn Grayson’s fantastic grand final effort.

“We held Tyrese and Holden up, but how do you stop Kahn?” asked the former GBA president. “That was a battle. It was a quick game, and fitness told.”