BASKETBALL
They finished with a flourish.
The Gisborne under-11 boys’ A team beat the Wolf-pack 35-25 and the B team saw Thames Valley off 16-8 to end their campaign at the Tui Ridge Basketball Tournament in Rotorua.
After a scoreless first period, the Albie Nepia-coached B team led 8-4 at halftime and were 14-6 ahead going into the fourth quarter. The Valley fought back down the home stretch but Gisborne’s Te Mania Taiapa-Tapatahi and Blaeq Kaitai scored six points each and were superb.
In the A team’s win against the Wolf-pack, a scintillating 12-point performance by Wirihana Papanui-Hohepa — backed up by Kelly Rangihuna-Paenga (8 points) and Kaui Ngatai (6pts) — put Adam Tapsell’s A team in command 13-8, 21-8, 31-13.
Rising Suns great Reggie Namana, Adam Tapsell and Albie Nepia coached the Gisborne Basketball Association teams at the tournament. On Day 1, Namana’s u11 girls beat New Plymouth Gold 30-13, Gisborne having led 14-4, 14-7 and 16-13. Kayla Namana led the way for Gisborne with 12 points. Natalie Tarei scored 10pts, Kiara Namana and Jorjah Tuapawa both scored four points and Te Raukura Tangohau scored the second-to-last field goal of the game.
Tapsell’s u11 boys were superb in their 63-3 win against the Thames Valley B team. The Gisborne team were 20-0, 33-0, 51-1 ahead throughout.
They learned that hard work pays off, that unselfish play produces superb basketball and that they had to take the good with the bad. Kelly Rangihuna-Paenga scored 24pts, Micah Tapsell scored 9pts, and Jackson Smith, Keiha Blackman and Wirihana Papanui-Hohepa scored six points each.
The Gisborne boys’ u11 B crew, coached by Albie Nepia, lost to Franklin B 43-12. A polished Franklin outfit controlled events throughout — 20-3, 28-3, 39-6.
Gisborne’s scorers were led by Te Mania Taiapa-Tapatahi (7pts).
In their second game on Day 1, Tapsell’s boys beat New Plymouth Blue 49-16, from 8-4, 26-6, 39-10 up.
Blackman (12pts), Rangihuna-Paenga (10pts) and Papanui-Hohepa (8pts) led Gisborne’s scorers.
The Gisborne B team lost 50-8 to New Plymouth Gold: the score was 3-3 at quartertime but Gold took charge 13-3 and 39-6 from there. Taiapa-Tapatahi scored all eight of his team’s points.
On Day 2, the u11 girls lost the first of their two games in the morning 35-17 to the Tauranga Year 7s, who led 5-3, 17-5, 25-9. Tuapawa (8pts), Kayla Namana (7pts) and Kiana Hope (2pts) scored for Gisborne.
The Gisborne team lost to another Tauranga team 22-10 later that morning, these opponents having led 6-0, 12-6, 18-8. Tuapawa fought hard for six points.
Namana’s team returned to their winning ways, 19-7 against New Plymouth Gold: the Gisborne girls held sway 7-4, 15-4, 17-7 with a six-point game from both Tuapawa and Kayla Namana. Te Raukura Tangohau and Areeza Skudder-Weir scored crucial field goals at key moments. The girls lost their last game on Sunday 36-18 to a strong Rotorua team. Rotorua led 12-3, 20-5, 28-12.
Kayla Namana (12pts) shone for her gutsy outfit.
Tapsell’s u11 boys beat the Wolf-pack in a 26-24 thriller on Sunday afternoon, having trailed 6-9, 9-16, 16-18 throughout. Micah Tapsell (7pts) led the evenly balanced Gisborne scorers’ list.
The Dogg Pound beat the Gisborne u11 boys’ B team 50-6. Te Mania Taiapa-Tapatahi scored Gisborne’s first field goal but the Pound dictated the tempo 14-4, 22-4, 41-6.