Memorable play in Gisborne Basketball Association Secondary Schools’ League

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

Talented athletes with good fundamentals made Week 6 of Division 1 in the Gisborne Basketball Association Secondary Schools’ League memorable.

Round-robin play at the John McFarlane Memorial Sports Centre, Gisborne Boys’ High School, concluded in epic style last Wednesday with GBHS B pipping the Junior Premiers 58-56, Allies Rangihuna dropping 31 points for TKKM-HH against Carbon, Crimson’s Eruera Morrell-Baker making the defensive play of the season so far against Diesel and Campion keeping their noses above water in Game 4.

Last night the Campion Cougars did just enough to stop a Lytton High School crew without the tireless Caleb Poole getting too close. Cougars captain Robert Fysh, rapidly improving leftie Alex Stoltz and Max Vanderbilt (29pts) were very good: they had to be. Vanderbilt is tough and far more determined than most — he finishes difficult plays consistently.

Ruka Leilaa of Lytton made the first shot-attempt of the last game of the night in classic Gisborne fashion, head down through the middle. Tumau Tuwairua led their scorers with 20 but their best development was two-fold — coach Tamara Hedge, who has excellent basketball knowledge, was more vocal this week, and Lytton did not give the game away chasing.

Now there are two of them.

William Collier made his first dunk-shot of the season for Carbon against Te Kura Kaupapa Maori o Nga Uri a Maui-Hawaiiki Hou.

And Seb Wilson hammered the ball home twice last night in Carbon’s 18-point win. He also gave an around-the-back pass to Izaiah King-Miki open under the hoop for 59-47.

Allies Rangihuna was just as superb for TKKM-HH. His 31 featured a pull-up jump-shot against Collier and a demanding finish against Seth Miller. Miller can drop bombs from 18 feet — as opposed to 30 — and hit three three-pointers from the perimeter in Week 6.

Max Hammond of Crimson is becoming a fan favourite and rightly so. He supplies humour (as when he shot the ball up into Luke Patumaka’s outstretched hand) and quality (as when he raced over halfway to give Braedyn Smith an assist left-side and later broke Diesel’s pressure-defence).

Morrell-Baker made a phenomenal play with his team 40-23 down. Cody Tarei, the biggest man in the league at 6ft 7in, steamed down the floor and Morrell-Baker came from the other side of the court to block the lay-up attempt . . . from behind.

To time the jump and the block at speed, as a much smaller player, is incredible.