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Home / Gisborne Herald / Sport

City Lights and Ngati Porou set the bar high

Gisborne Herald
17 Mar, 2023 08:48 PMQuick Read

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MEN's A Grade Champions City Lights: Back-row from left, Scott Walters, Daley Riri, Tahu-Potiki Te Maru-Doran, Rongomai Smith, Scott Muncaster (captain), Zade Donner. Second-row from left, Ivy Walters, Quade Walters, Kye Walters. Front-row, from left, Olly Walters, Ryan Walters, Krystal Namana, Reggie Namana, Kiara Namana, Paora Dewes.

MEN's A Grade Champions City Lights: Back-row from left, Scott Walters, Daley Riri, Tahu-Potiki Te Maru-Doran, Rongomai Smith, Scott Muncaster (captain), Zade Donner. Second-row from left, Ivy Walters, Quade Walters, Kye Walters. Front-row, from left, Olly Walters, Ryan Walters, Krystal Namana, Reggie Namana, Kiara Namana, Paora Dewes.

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Iconic clubs City Lights and Ngāti Porou have proved that class is permanent in Gisborne Basketball Association competition.

And the Setting Suns brought the 450 fans in attendance to their feet three times on finals night at the YMCA.

Matt Tong's Suns beat Raiders B under Siaki Tui 45-27 in the men's open-grade final, the Bronya McMenamin-led Ngāti Porou completed a perfect season against Janelle Te Rauna-Lamont's Team 2022 by winning the women's final 61-37, and City Lights dethroned Green Up 66-49 in the men's premier-grade grand final.

Green Up captain Holden Wilson — when healthy — is dynamic, but an injury to his left ankle hobbled him a fortnight ago. Neither his bravery nor that of fellow guard Weighn Wilson (13 points), nor even the quality of Paddy Blackman (14), could swing the big one their way.

City Lights beat SE Systems 61-37 in the 2016 showpiece, blasted Old School 81-55 in 2017 and edged out then-defending champs Gisborne Boys' High School Red 83-81 in 2019.

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Many things have changed in terms of their personnel and style of play in the seven years since City Lights' formation, but not everything.

Lights skipper Scott Muncaster's supreme confidence — expressed by his buzzer-beating three-point shot to end the game as if to say we own the night — remains a constant.

“That's how every game should be,” he said.

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“Enemies on the floor, friends off it.”

Holden Wilson said: “We shot the ball well but they got more rebounds and things just weren't in our favour tonight. We weren't as calm as we should have been.”

Muncaster gave the first assist in the showpiece game, Zade Donner dropping a three-pointer from the right side.

Weighn Wilson answered with a fall-away jumpshot from the right baseline, over the outstretched arm of City Lights big man Rongomai Smith.

Smith's teammate Reg Namana hit a trey for 10-7. Blackman hit two of the same to give Green Up a 13-10 lead.

Green Up forwards Adam Nepe and Darius Waititi-Leach stepped up in the second period, strongman Nepe taking rebounds off City Lights at their own end and Waititi-Leach — as he has all season — impressing with his poise inside the key.

As Weighn Wilson had skinned Muncaster for a lay-up in the second quarter, so Muncaster beat him to score for City Lights 37, Green Up 38.

Blackman made a thunderous start to the third period defensively, pinning Te Maru-Doran's shot to the right side of the backboard. Although City Lights were 52-42 up at the time, the play gave them something else to think about.

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Daley Riri scored from sensational put-backs in both the second and fourth quarters for City Lights, but players of experience tend to make their presence felt down the home stretch, as Namana did, in drawing the defence to him left-side before he gave an assist to Smith for the backdoor lay-up right of the hoop, 57-49.

Ngāti Porou were icy cool in claiming their seventh title in nine years, their tall forward Tiara Weir leading all scorers on the night with 25 points.

That she and the diminutive Jayda Waititi-Leach (15pts) headed up Ngāti Porou's list of scorers is a wonderful testament to their continuing evolution as a unit. McMenamin has never borne the burden alone.

“I've enjoyed seeing these girls who played good basketball at school find clubs to play for, because the game, especially the women's game, is growing,” McMenamin said.

“That was a very fast game. Team 2022 have a high skill-factor.

“And yes, we'll be back next season.”

Janelle Te Rauna-Lamont said: “Ngati Porou have been a great team for a long time. They do things simply, strongly and confidently.

“We know we need to practise our shooting and a couple of set plays if we want to win a championship.

“Supporting this league by making sure our youngsters come through is a goal that we achieved this year.”

The women's final was a thriller. In the first period, Team 2022 made two big plays early on, Jett Pohatu blocking Weir's shot out of court on the right baseline and Maiangi Mackey hitting a long jumpshot for 4-1.

McMenamin hit a trey for 4-4 and shortly thereafter breathed fire defensively, dogging the footsteps of Amoe Wharehinga downcourt, keeping her wide of the hoop. Team 2022's Wharehinga made the breakaway scoop-shot right-side for 6-4.

Weir hit three-point shots in the second and third periods, McMenamin hit one to open the fourth period, and Waititi-Leach went end-to-end for the last basket of the game.

Matt Tong of men's open-grade champions the Setting Suns may need to pinch himself to make sure Tuesday night really did happen.

His crew beat a Raiders B posse replete with highly skilled veterans and past premier-grade champions, and Mike King put up 20 points in the effort.

The skipper's son, Ollie Tong, scored off a bounce-pass from Ryan Tapsell, weaved his way through three defenders to find Brad Ross for 39-17 and brought the 400-plus house down with an up-fake and step left to beat Anton Riri with a classic jumpshot for 41-17.

“We wanted to have fun and it's been awesome — we've come together since the Gizzy Gilas out-rebounded and out-hustled us at the John McFarlane Memorial Sports Centre at Gisborne Boys' High School in Game 1.”

The Setting Suns pipped Raiders B by one point in their last meeting but Siaki Tui, Raiders skipper, made no excuses then or last night.

“It wasn't our night,” he said.

“They took their opportunities; we didn't. The effort was there but our shots didn't drop and having six players in a final — due to injuries and availability — isn't ideal. It is what it is.”

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