SHOOTING: High Flyers’ Zade Donner, here going for the basket for City Lights against Campion College’s Patrick Murphy in club competition last year, was one of those who shone as his team played their up-tempo brand of basketball against The Young and the Useless last night. YAU won the game 34-30. Picture by Paul Rickard
On the one hand, an extraordinary escape act; on the other, crushing defence.
Defending champions City Lights survived a severe test of their skills and composure in a come-from-behind 54-51 win against Gisborne Boys’ High School. Also last night, Old School suffocated Auto Go Pure Sound 46-15.
City Lights and Old School are both undefeated and drew 53-all when they met in Week 7. As both teams have 26 competition points, Old School’s 31-point goal differential (254 to 223) means they qualify first for next week’s semifinals in the 1 v 4, 2 v 3 format.
The Dragons (23pts) beat Lytton High School 58-27 last night and will be team No.3, while SE Systems (16pts) have an outside chance of unseating East Coast (19pts) for fourth position if they get three competition points for a win in the 5.30pm game tonight against Campion College. Even then, their margin of victory would need to be at least 43 points to oust the Coast on differential.
This means Old School will meet either East Coast or SE Systems in Week 11 while City Lights will face the Dragons.
The Gisborne Boys’ High School-Lytton High School clash will not go ahead tonight as the John McFarlane Memorial Sports Centre is unavailable.
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BOYS’ High gave City Lights a wake-up call in Game 3 last night.
Boys’ High were hot on their heels from the tip. City Lights were 17-16 up after the first period but Boys’ High were 32-24 ahead at the break. By three-quartertime, City Lights had clawed their way to a 42-39 lead.
Double-figure scorers for City Lights were captain Scott Muncaster (14pts), Zade Donner (13pts) and Carl Riini (12pts), while veteran Francis Reid also made an invaluable contribution. His nine points included a field goal to lead 50-49, and two free throws under pressure for 52-49.
Boys’ High centre Sam Veitch scored to close it to 52-51.
However, missed foul shots on either side of a missed lay-up cost Boys’ High.
Coach Dwayne Tamatea was proud of his school team nonetheless.
“We could have won that,” he said.
“The boys have to get used to momentum shifts, the game swinging back and forth.
“Psalm Taylor shot the ball well and looked to drive — he played with more confidence — and we played better defence than we had before now. That was a 40 percent better effort.”
Muncaster said it was the toughest game of the season against the league’s most improved team.
“This was what we needed — a reminder.
“We kept our composure — they led by 12 points at one stage — but if there’s one thing that helps, it’s Zade Donner filling lanes. Every time you look up, he’s there.”
Psalm Taylor (13pts) led Boys’ High scorers, hitting three three-point shots and driving superbly to close it to 42-41 at the start of the fourth quarter.
Tyrese Tuwairua-Brown is the Boys’ High go-to shooter week in, week out, and scored 12pts last night. Both Veitch and point-guard Holden Wilson scored seven points and hit three-pointers in what was an impressive showing — much better than the 65-26 loss to Muncaster’s crew on opening night.
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A three-point play summed it up.
Old School titan Thomas Tindale’s second-quarter effort for 17-4 was a tell-all snapshot of Game 2. Although the league’s most physical team were made to work hard to score themselves, for Pure Sound it was almost impossible.
“They’re too big, too wide to score on inside . . . we needed to push the ball,” Pure Sound captain Billy Maxwell said.
“You can’t let them set up on defence and they’re just as tough at the offensive end. You can’t let them set up there, either. They pass well and they’ve got scoring options.”
Old School led 12-2, 21-4, 30-13 through the quarters and made the lane virtually a no-go area for outsiders.
Pure Sound’s Jimmy Wilson did just as good a defensive job at close quarters against Rongomai Smith, who led all scorers with 16 points without ever having free rein.
Gary Harding beat the quartertime buzzer from the left baseline for 12-2, and teammate and Old School player of the day TK Moeke (7pts) hit a jump shot from the left baseline for 21-4. Those shots were backbreakers, the “Pound” having played hard defence throughout both possessions.
“TK was our man tonight because of the little things he did, not just because he made difficult shots or even because he gave an assist,” Old School captain Reggie Namana said.
“On offence, he moved without the ball. Lots of players move once they have the ball, but they don’t try to get open or help anyone else. He does.”
Maxwell gave the best pass of Week 10 four minutes into the second period, a no-look gem to Dale Hailey, who made the backdoor lay-up on the left side of the court.
Adam Niwa was Pure Sound’s leading scorer with seven points, including a three-point shot in the third period.
Dwayne Tamatea, as lead referee, made the referee’s call of the night with just under two minutes left to play in the third quarter. Maxwell made a pass inbounds under Old School’s hoop. Namana flashed at the ball, which popped up and into the underside of the support post. The ball may hit the bottom or top of the backboard and remain in play — but not if it hits the post, the back of the backboard, or the support cable which runs from the ceiling. To pick up on that in real time and rule decisively — Pure Sound ball for the infraction — signals an experienced, sharp official.
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They have more than one big man.
In the absence of 6ft8in juggernaut Jasper Wills, Te Ahi Te Hau-Otene more than proved his worth in a 14-point turn for the Dragons, whose 58-27 win against Lytton High School rested on Te Hau-Otene’s inside game and a brilliant performance by former Lytton captain Levi Hohipa-Henry.
Hohipa-Henry led all scorers in the league on a low-scoring night with 21 points, including a three-point play. He opened the scoring in the first game he’s played against Lytton since leaving school and his startling quickness caught a young back-court by surprise.
Keenan Ruru-Poharama was the organiser on the floor for the Dragons, while teammate Te Angi Te Hau showed great self-belief in continuing to take good open shots despite missing his first six jump-shot attempts. He sank two three-pointers in the second half.
The Dragons led 17-9, 29-20, 49-22 throughout.
Lytton captain Genesis Bartlett-Tamatea again stepped up with 11 points. He made a three-point play to end the third quarter, Darius Leach (5pts) replicated that feat to close it to 56-27.
“We usually start slow but we picked it up just before halftime,” Ruru-Poharama said.
“Ahi was really good, Levi runs non-stop. Aside from that we’re just happy to be in the semis.”
Bartlett-Tamatea, who took the ball to the right, skirting Te Hau, and finished at the rim against Ruru-Poharama to close it to 36-22, said: “That was a quick game. If I had to nominate a deserving player from us, it would be Darius. He didn’t lose faith; he kept shooting the ball.”
The Coast beat the 9ers by default last night.
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