Final round-robin games for Division 1

A109 Light Utility Helicopter flight with mayor Gisborne City from the air in November 2023.

Every Wednesday, the John McFarlane Memorial Sports Centre packs out.

Gisborne Boys’ High School hosts the Gisborne Basketball Association’s college leagues, with Division 1 for the seniors tonight and Division 2 for the juniors on Friday.

This is the last week of round-robin play.

Unbeaten GBHS Senior B lead the eight-team competition with six wins for 18 points. Karta Paea and Maesyn Koia shone for them in the opening game of Week 6. The B team’s 58-56 win in Game 1 against GBHS Junior Premiers was nearly a boilover . . . they had led 44-22 at the third quarter.

This evening, the Bs will face a Lytton Seniors crew down on height and experience, with their tallest timber, Caleb Poole and Brooking Poi, and their best defensive player, Tasman Guirau, all unavailable.

Lytton coach Tamara Hedge will have as her captain in Game 2 the bustling, fearless Ruka Leilaa.

Adrian Peachey is enjoying his work with clipboard on behalf of GBHS Junior Crimson.

“I have a mixture of boys who’ve played ball before and some who’re completely new to the game, so there’s a mixture of readiness and responsiveness,” he said.

“They’re all in their first year at high school so ball’s just one many new things they’re adapting to.”

Crimson, of Max Hammond and Braedyn Smith fame, should know that their Seb Wilson-led opponents this evening — the fearsome GBHS Senior Diesel — are of a mind to give their younger luminaries solid court-time in Game 3.

Playing minutes are treasured by young players. Wilson rewarded Izaiah Kingi-Miki for getting open last Wednesday night and that type of unselfish play, not to mention vision, is its own reward as an assist.

The Junior Prems-GBHS Senior Diesel clash in Game 1 could be interesting. Nuku Patea-Taylor produced 20 points in his last outing for Diesel and, on paper, Diesel must go in as favourites.

But such is Gisborne Boys’ High School’s depth and positive outlook around their basketball at the moment, that they need not fear punishment.

Rather, they should eye the prospect of an upset seriously.

Long-serving Campion College coach Shane McClutchie, whose crew sit in fifth place, were down to play in Game 4 but have instead beaten Nga Uri a Maui-Hawaiki Hou by default.