A109 Light Utility Helicopter flight with mayor Gisborne City from the air in November 2023.
Keenan Ruru-Poharama of Gisborne Boys' High School is a thoughtful coach.
His crew beat the Massive Marauders 74-39 and, while a school team can become loose when well up in a blowout, the Boys' High outfit worked to keep their shape ahead of next week's Super 8 tournament in Hamilton.
Ngaru Grayson led their scorers with 14 points, while Luka Russell and William Collier both put up 13.
Collier played his best game at club level in a Boys' High shirt, using his height and frame to force the Massive Marauders to adjust on shot-attempts or pass the ball.
Collier also scored, and that is enormous news for a GBHS team that will be shorter than their Super 8 opponents. They have battled some big ones over the years; Palmerston North's seven-foot centre Callum McRae (16, in 2015) comes to mind.
The older team on Tuesday night played some great ball too. Simon Wilson (9pts) got great position against Collier and an even better assist from teammate Luke Bradley to make the score 41-16 to Boys' High, while Marauders captain Adam Harford dropped priceless old-school shots throughout the game.
Shane Luke (8pts) drew the double-team to give Harford an open look from eight feet to the basket at 53-16 down in the third quarter. His skipper dropped the hammer to close it to 53-18.
It wasn't easy to keep up with a fit, well-coached Boys' High team, Harford said. (The Marauders had only one substitute.)
Ruru-Poharama identified areas of strength and others for potential improvement for Boys' High.
“We ran good half-court offence and created some decent looks inside for our post men, and perimeter shots as well. We shot well off this. We had inside presence, which we lacked the last time we met the Marauders. We attacked the rim and finished those plays.”
Ethan Ngarangione-Pearson has given Gisborne basketball a shot in the arm.
He did a great job with the whistle on Monday and Tuesday, and scored 29 points in SE Systems' 68-38 win against the Raiders. The 16-year-old left-hander dropped three three-pointers in the last two minutes of what was, until halftime, a close, up-tempo game.
His teammate Rongomai Smith pounded away in the paint for 22 points. Levi Tamihana (9pts), Willie Brown (8pts) and Dom Wilson (8pts) all did what they could on a night during which jumpshots rarely fell for the Raiders. The Raiders, a team of tough veterans, missed their big man Dale Hailey but did not stop trying.
Green Up versus City Lights is both a game of chess and a grind.
Lights captain Scott Muncaster is happy either way, as — his teammate Ryan Walters' ace early jumpshot aside — he put up all eight of his posse's points in the first period.
Green Up guard Holden Wilson produced 13 points, skipper Tyrese Tuwairua-Brown, 32 . . . it was amazing stuff.
Muncaster poured in 29 points but his teammate, left-hander Paora Dewes, hit the biggest three-point shot of the night, from the right corner. That made the score 54-50 to Green Up with one minute 50 seconds left to play.
Shortly thereafter, Muncaster got the ball to Ruru-Poharama to the right of the hoop, Ruru-Poharama returned it and City Lights' never-say-never sharpshooter struck gold from 20 feet to close it to 54-53.
Tuwairua-Brown had the last word with a 25-footer to close the game out: Green Up won the game 57-53.
Muncaster added a postscript: “We were a few men down, but that's how it goes on the night. It was fun — a fast game — and we had our chances.”
Results —
Monday, Secondary schools' division, John McFarlane Memorial Sports Centre
Gisborne BHS Junior A 61 (Kahu Leach-Waihi 14, Dom Wilson 14, Jaiah Garrett-Kora 8) Campion Juniors 24 (Allies Rangihuna 10, Keanu Reedy 5) Q1 GBHS JA 9-4, HT 18-11, Q3 40-16.
Gisborne BHS Senior B 55 (Kiwa Ria 8, Bailey Edmonds 7) GBHS Junior B 26 (Jodicee Matenga-Bishop 7, Tiopira Huriwai-Kirk 6) Q1 GBHS 7-3, HT 15-3, Q3 16-7.
Ritana Toa 40 (Raenin Pihema 16, Caleb Poole 14) Campion Cougars 38 (Max Vanderbilt 12, Allen Arnaldo 9) Q1 RT 9-5, HT 20-15, Q3 30-29.
Tuesday, men's premier grade, YMCA
Gisborne BHS Senior A 74 (Ngaru Grayson 14, William Collier 13, Luka Russell 13) Massive Marauders 39 (Simon Wilson 9, Adam Tapsell 8, Shane Luke 8) Q1 GBHS 20-7, HT 35-14, Q3 56-24.
Raiders 38 (Levi Tamihana 9, Willie Brown 8, Dom Wilson 8) SE Systems 68 (Ethan Ngarangione-Pearson 29, Rongomai Smith 22, Will Hocquard 9) Q1 SES 14-10, HT 22-16, Q3 46-28.
Green Up 57 (Tyrese Tuwairua-Brown 32, Holden Wilson 13) City Lights 53 (Scott Muncaster 29, Carl Riini 10, Paora Dewes 9) Q1 Green Up 19-12, HT 33-29, Q3 48-40.
Men's Open B Grade, John McFarlane Memorial Sports Centre
The Shed 54 (Matt Tomlinson 12, Te Ahi Te Hau 10) Gizzy Gilas 49 (Raphael Heria 13, Paul Lasenby 10, Rudy Espellarga 6) Q1 The Shed 10-7, HT Gizzy Gilas 20-19, Q3 The Shed 33-30.
Old Surfers 36 (Ben Payne 9, Jack Malcolm 6) Bibs 46 (Lou Tofilau 17, Jorge Tofilau 10) Q1 Bibs 6-2, HT 23-14, Q3 32-28.
Hawaiiki Hou 29 (Bailey Barbarich 9, JJ Andzue 6) Hustlers 70 (Eli Swann 19, Jesse Fowley 17) Q1 Hustlers 21-2, HT 37-7, Q3 58-19.