Top scorer: Gisborne Boys’ High School’s Tyrese Tuwairua-Brown goes for the basket under pressure from Cairo Rule-Reihana, of Uawa, in last year’s competition final. Tuwairua-Brown led Boys’ High Red’s scorers on Monday night with 29 points. File picture
BASKETBALL
Red is the new Black.
Under the banner of Gisborne Boys’ High School Black, Max Scott led Boys’ High to only their second men’s club title — 74-47 against Uawa — at the YMCA in September last year.
Scott and all of his returning players have passed the Black mantle on to the school’s second A Grade team, and on Monday they beat Old School 96-74 as GBHS Red.
Swapping colours has caused no reduction in the effectiveness of Scott’s outfit: Tyrese Tuwairua-Brown led his team’s scorers (29 points) with the double-figures support of Sam Veitch (21), Holden Wilson (20) and the captain himself (10).
“We had an awesome first quarter — we ran the floor and knocked down some shots,” said the skipper. “Old School then went to a zone defence, but we were able to close the game out with Tyrese and Sam.”
Red led 30-8, 51-31, 72-56 throughout what was expected to be a much tougher contest. The younger team made seven three-point shots — “treys” — and the height of Veitch and Ofa Tauatevalu was key on the backboards at both ends of the court.
Old School captain Reggie Namana hit four treys and like centre Thomas Tindale also scored 16 points while first-year teammate Genesis Tamatea-Bartlett was Game 2’s No.1 scorer with 31 points. The modest Tamatea-Bartlett — Lytton High School skipper for the previous three years — stepped up his game in the absence of Tindale’s twin pivot partner-in-crime, Rongomai Smith.
Namana said: “Genesis was awesome against a Boys’ High team that played fast and shot the ball really well. For us to have been down by 30 points and cut it back to 12 was a sign of character on our part.”
The game had its comical moments — eg Scott’s efforts at the rim to block Tindale’s shot from behind — as the Old School titan made the first of his two three-point plays in the second quarter. In the third period, Tindale made a classic lay-up, left side, on the turn against Veitch for 46-83 and Tuwairua-Brown got over Tamatea-Bartlett to score for 72-54 just prior to three-quartertime. Tuwairua-Brown stayed frosty in the fourth period. He drove to the hoop for 82-63 and 30 seconds later hit his second long jumpshot of Week 4 for 85-65.
It can be hard.
While GBHS Black is undoubtedly benefiting from the head-to-head with the likes of Namana, Wi Brown of the Filthy Dozen and Keenan Ruru-Poharama of SE Systems, A Grade basketball is a steep learning curve.
And as younger players learn, veterans such as City Lights’ skipper Scott Muncaster make hay. He scored 27 points in CL’s 70-42 win against Black. The competition’s most slippery guard, Carlos Pedraza, ran for 24 points and strongman Ryan Walters (10) hit two jumpshots from depth.
City Lights led 21-8, 35-19, 52-24 and their experience shone through — in Pedraza’s turn and burn whenever GBHS erred in losing the ball, in Muncaster’s footwork to split the defence. That said, Gisborne Boys’ Tamati Horua (12), Adam Nepe (11) and Daley Riri (9) are finding their feet and Horua made the play of the game in the fourth period.
With six minutes remaining, he stayed with another athlete, CL forward Pila Lolohea, as he drove left and spun back to the hoop. Horua then leapt from behind to pin the ball to the backboard on Lolohea’s shot-attempt. A split-second later, Horua slashed to the opposition hoop for a lay-up, score City Lights 54, GBHS Black 26.
Muncaster said: “The young guys have some talent — Daley showed promise at point-guard. We forced turn-overs or steals and then just took off. There was some sea-gulling.”
It was the perfect sign-off to Game 1.
Filthy Dozen big man Kazius Unuwai hit his first three-point shot with seven seconds left to play in the Filth’s 55-22 A Grade win against SE Systems. The Filthy Dozen controlled the game 11-1, 21-6, 48-15 with Dom Wilson (18) and Dale Hailey (17) to the fore. Their teammate Levi Tamihana making two three-pointers — one in the second quarter, one in the third period. Systems skipper Adrian Sparks led his team’s scorers with 10 points.
Ruru-Poharama dropped one trey in his six-point tally. SES is a hard-working, scrappy team that — no matter the result or margin — competes hard, most notably, for offensive rebounds. They work to maintain structure in their game and play good basketball. The jumpshooting from both teams was slightly off. Wilson showed ability to shift gears on the run. Filthy Dozen forward Siaki Tui’s tough interior defence against Sparks in the second period and the outside shot of FD’s mercurial Willie Brown (he hit two treys from the left-wing to start the fourth period), these were highlights.
Sparks said: “We couldn’t shoot tonight and the Filthy Dozen’s zone defence was like a high security bank — we couldn’t get in.”
Campion College go hard.
The Shane McClutchie-coached Campion set the tone for all that followed at the John McFarlane Memorial Sports Centre on Monday night with their 64-37 B Grade victory against hosts GBHS Blue.
Campion captain Orlando Pedraza led the College’s scorers with 19 points and his teammate, centre Nelson Brown (16), was also dominant.
Aaron Sacia hit two three-pointers for Campion late in the game, with Pedraza reserving special praise for guard Allen Arnaldo (four points in the first quarter). “Allen ran the lanes for us. Nelson flew — it was a fast game. We led early on and then they caught up to us, but we finished strongly.”
McClutchie’s crew led 17-4, 22-18, 50-24 despite the best efforts of Ngaru Grayson (11), three-point shooting forward Cody Tarei and Sebastian Wilson (both seven points each) for GBHS Blue.
Age is no barrier.
Old Surfers are living proof of it. Frank Russell’s men beat the GBHS Wolf-pack 40-35 in Game 2 of B Grade competition in Week 4. Mercy Bristowe’s 15 points were the difference. He finished the fast-break and was the veterans’ leading scorer.
Teacher Peter Varey (10) was also excellent value for the Surfers. For the Wolf-pack, big Oscar Ruston (10) and Rikki Noble (8) made shots under pressure while across the board, their young players are improving both individually and in terms of team-work.
Though the Surfers were 10-6, 20-14 and 29-24 ahead throughout, that the Wolf-pack outscored them (if only by a point) in the third period and matched their scoring in the fourth quarter, speaks to their intestinal fortitude and heart.
Lytton High School proved on Monday night that anything worthwhile is worth fighting for.
They beat the Gizzy Gilas 65-56 in a thriller. Lytton led 13-11, 29-25, 48-44. Darius Waititi-Leach (14), Ben Greaves (12), Ryan Anderson (9) and Raenin Pihema (9) were among the heroes for Lytton.
Ray Salvation (18) and Ralph Heria (10) led the Gilas’ scorers.