Donna Nepia did a superb job for the Gisborne Basketball Association on Tuesday night.
A Gisborne basketball veteran and badged referee, she and her officiating partners Seth Miller and Adrian Sparks kept good order in the first two games of Week 2 for the men's premier grade at the YMCA.
Club basketball sometimes needs to be reined in, lest it bolts.
Defending champions Green Up beat an experienced Raiders crew 89-72 in Game 1, the Gisborne Boys' High School senior premiers tasted victory for the first time in this competition — 74-51 against the Massive Marauders — in Game 2, and City Lights had a 70-40 win against the old enemy, SE Systems.
Systems patron and former GBA president Adrian Sparks said: “It's a two-sided coin. Our lads are as stoked to be playing ball as a dog with two tails, but we didn't perform.”
GBHS guard Ngaru Grayson led his team's scorers with 16 points, his teammates Sebastian Wilson (14pts) and Nuku Patea-Taylor (10pts) also producing double-figures.
Captain Wilson made the only dunk-shot of Week 2 but was most pleased with his unit's outside shooting. After he hit the first three-pointer, Boys' High hit a further seven treys; rookie Qkylau Leach made three triples.
Seth Miller, at guard for GBHS, made the second period his own. He cut from the left corner to swing through for a lay-up, and soon after made a jump-hook from a similar position and hit two three-point shots.
In Game 1, referees Nepia and Miller handled with aplomb the pressure applied by fierce competitors Green Up and the Raiders. Lead official Miller made a sharp call many miss, when at seven minutes 26 seconds in, with the score 4-2, he ruled the ball out of bounds when it hit the underside of the support post securing the backboard. When that happens, it happens quickly, and is easily missed. With 2min 45sec left before quartertime, Nepia as lead nabbed Green Up big man Adam Nepe for a three-point play by Raiders whippet Ethan Ngarangione-Pearson.
Along with the tension, there was unintended hilarity: Raiders powerhouse Jason Tuapawa shot an airball from the free-throw line.
But the game was better defined by the three-point play that Tyrese Tuwairua-Brown made against Allies Rangihuna off a crosscourt assist from Holden Wilson, for 29-24. Also impressive was the opening score by Psalm Taylor of Green Up, who for 64-54 made another scoop shot end-to-end.
City Lights captain Scott Muncaster's offensive game has long been one of that champion club's most potent weapons.
Muncaster hit three treys in his 27 points (only Tuwairua-Brown, with 29, was more prolific in Week 2) for Game 3.
In the late game, talented left-hander Scott Walters returned to action. He played under his elder brother and old boy Ryan for the club champion Gisborne Boys' High School team of 2008.
Ryan Walters as player-coach commanded such athletes as Scottish rugby international Blade Thomson. On Tuesday night, Walters was — as always — a tower of strength for City Lights at the defensive end.
Only the likes of Dom Wilson proved capable of stepping by Walters to score, as he did in closing the score to 33-19 in Lights' favour.
Adrian Sparks, as he often does, brought the late game to life, first bouncing off his teammate Keenan Ruru-Poharama near the left baseline and later scoring off a second put-back to close it to 64-32.
Gisborne Basketball Association men's club league, Tuesday, Week 2 —
Game 1: Green Up 89 (Tyrese Tuwairua-Brown 29, Psalm Taylor 18, Holden Wilson 15, Paddy Blackman 15) Raiders 72 (Ethan Ngarangione-Pearson 22, Hale-Nepia Sua 17, Willie Brown 16) Q1 Green Up 24-17, HT Green Up 41-33 Green Up, Q3 Green Up 56-53.
Game 2: Massive Marauders 51 (Stefan Pishief 19, Luke Bradley 12) Gisborne Boys' High School Senior Premiers 74 (Ngaru Grayson 16, Sebastian Wilson 12, Nuku Patea-Taylor 10, Will Collier 9). Q1 GBHS 23-18, HT 47-26, Q3 66-39.
Game 3: City Lights 70 (Scott Muncaster 27, Zane Donner 12, Tahu-Potiki Te Maru-Doran 9, Ryan Walters 8) SE Systems 40 (Dom Wilson 10, Keenan Ruru-Poharama 10). Q1 City Lights 20-10, HT 41-17, Q3 58-29.