A109 Light Utility Helicopter flight with mayor Gisborne City from the air in November 2023.
Gisborne Boys' High School Senior Premiers coach Keenan Ruru-Poharama is on record as saying he never again wants to hear about their loss on Sunday.
But that 54-53 loss in the Round 3 catch-up game with SE Systems at Gisborne Boys' High School's John McFarlane Memorial Sports Centre lit a fire under his team. And that produced a sensational turnaround — a 78-69 win against the Raiders on Tuesday night.
Gisborne Boys' High, under Sebastian Wilson, last week came back from the Super 8 Schools tournament in New Plymouth where they finished seventh, having been eighth in 2020 and 2021, and seventh this year.
Their come-from-behind win against the Raiders elevated their play, with confidence, to a hitherto unseen level of energy and enthusiasm.
Wilson dominated proceedings at the YMCA with 32 points. Ngaru Grayson (14pts), with his quickness and flair, went at the hoop hard. That is something that he and two or three others on this Boys' High crew now do with aplomb.
Kiwa Ria-Renata-Kokiri put up 16 points and opened the scoring in Week 3 with a floater five feet from the hoop. His teammate Fern Maaka scored on a put-back for his skipper Wilson off the first attempted jumpshot of the night. Wilson dropped a dunk-shot on the Raiders with two hands for 10-1.
In the second period, Wilson made three-point plays against both Raiders dynamo Ethan Ngarangione-Pearson (18pts) and former GBHS centre Cody Tarei (13pts), while Tarei outsized and outmuscled the Gisborne Boys' High back-court for Raiders 15, Boys' High 19.
Felix Sparks, who is becoming more comfortable on the floor for GBHS, hit the first of his two three-point shots on the night.
For the Raiders, the big first-half news was Haeora Kerekere-Puke's skill, grit, power and willingness to bump against all comers in the low post: Kerekere-Puke contributed nine points.
Boys' High led 10-9 at quartertime but the feisty Raiders, with quality veterans such as Jimmy Wilson and Jason Tuapawa to hold things together, went 32-29 up at the break and were 54-52 ahead at three-quartertime, on Tarei's near 30-foot shot from the left side of the floor.
The fourth period's spectacular plays included Ngarangione-Pearson's dunk-shot at 58-54 and Tuapawa (10pts) hitting two treys.
Boys' High and the Raiders had warmed the YMCA up for Game 2. And though they missed big man William Collier, who scored 11 points on Sunday, they did enough for Wilson to say: “We played OK. On offence, we can improve by making better passes and playing smarter in transition. We're not satisfied.”
Reigning champions Green Up played within themselves in Game 2. They beat SE Systems 61-50.
Green Up captain Tyrese Tuwairua-Brown led all scorers in the game with 21 points. Teammates Holden Wilson and the purposeful Psalm Taylor scored 16 and 11 respectively.
Adam Nepe's continued development as a forward is a major plus for Green Up. He is powerful around the rim.
Players rose to the occasion in Game 2. Systems' Carl Riini (11pts) opened the scoring and Dom Wilson (12pts) made a strong move inside for 6-5. On any given night these two, and Wi Brown, are capable of a 20-point game for SES but they have also never lost their sense of humour — witness Dom Wilson's look of amazement after being called for fouling Holden on a play that panned out in slow motion, the offensive player and defensive player seemingly apart.
Adrian Peachey twice proved his worth for SES as the clock wound down to halftime, scoring at Holden's expense and curling right to make a skilful finish for 34-19.
Ruru-Poharama proved, in swinging by the basket to score for SES 27, Green Up 34, that he can still mix it up on-court but Green Up simply sank shots down the home stretch, as when Psalm Taylor hit a 20-footer for 42-33.
IN the last game of the night, City Lights beat the Massive Marauders 61-37 on the back of double-figure scoring by four players and the defensive presence at centre of strongman Scott Walters.
The league's tallest forward, 6ft 7in Stefan Pishief, made a remarkable basket between Scott Walters and elder brother Ryan. All three players are busy at both ends: as Scott proved a little later for 16-3, scoring off a backdoor play from a great assist, courtesy of Scott Muncaster.
Muncaster made a statement in the second period. He made a three-point play against Luke Bradley for 21-3, hit a 20-footer for 24-6, and hooked a pass off the right sideline at his own end over half court to the slashing Daley Riri, the left-hander on his way to scoring for 26-6.
Marauders powerhouse Ray Noble rolled back the years to hit one of the night's cleanest jumpshots to close it to 26-10 and soon thereafter he hit Pishief in the low block with an assist. The Pishief three-point play drew the Massive Marauders inches closer, at 36-15.
Ngatapa Hope Cup cricketer Simon Wilson made the effort bucket of the night to close it to 49-30. Having taken a jumpshot and seen the ball rim out, he took an offensive rebound, switched hands and scored on the other side of the backboard.