That will be the men’s B Grade club basketball final in 2019, after Campion beat the Gisborne Boys’ High School Wolf-pack 52-31. Their captain Orlando Pedraza hit three three-point shots in his 19 point tally and assistant coach Paora Dewes (13) wasalso to the fore for the college, who led 17-7, 28-19, 44-25 throughout v the feisty Pack.
Matariki Kaa was competitive and impressive for Ray Noble’s young GBHS team: Kaa topped their scoring list with 15, his teammate RJ Brown hit two long jump-shots in his 11 points. The presence of Nelson Brown gave Campion an edge in height and rebounding yet despite that, the Pack never gave up. They played hard-nosed basketball despite missing key players due to injury and other commitments.
Lytton High School beat Old Surfers by default but the Gizzy Gilahs won a cracking contest v GBHS Blue 76-67. Gilahs’ captain Rudy Espellargo (18), Julius Tabuada (17) and Ralph Heria (12) were the Gilahs’ best but Seb Wilson led all scorers in Game 1, Week 9 with 20 points. His passing ability, gutsy driving to the hoop and ability to finish were complemented by a respectable jumpshot 10 feet from the basket.
