Opening action on two courts

Heads up: City Lights captain Scott Muncaster goes for the basket as Campion skipper Patrick Murphy defends in a game last year. Muncaster scored 24 points against East Coast in the season-opening round of games on Monday night. Picture by Paul Rickard

BASKETBALL by Ben O’Brien-Leaf

Some call it “a feeling-out process”. Others refer to it as blowing away the cobwebs.

Opening night in the 2018 Gisborne Basketball Association men’s club league threw up these results: at the John McFarlane Memorial Sports Centre, Gisborne Boys’ High School Red beat Campion College 78-42, GBHS Black beat Lytton High School 55-40 and the Dragons beat the High-Flyers by default.

At the YMCA, league stalwarts SE Systems beat the Young and the Useless 40-25, the Filthy Dozen beat Uawa 57-36 and defending champions City Lights beat East Coast 82-29.

City Lights led 18-6, 42-11, 60-22. For CL, guard and captain Scott Muncaster scored 24 points, and Carl Riini and Francis Reid scored 15 points apiece.

Coast’s best individual effort came from Drae Calles, whose 11-point tally included three three-point shots.

Muncaster has a clear goal for his crew: to win their third straight club title.

“We picked up where we left off and everyone played a role,” he said.

“I was looking to pass in the first quarter — after missing my first three shots — but then I got going in the second period with six straight baskets, which got me in rhythm.”

Aubrey Yates and Pila Lolohea excelled close to the basket for City Lights, as Filthy Dozen forward Siaki Tui had earlier against Uawa.

Tui scored 10 points in his team’s 57-36 win, with the Dozen’s class at guard shining through: Willie Brown (11pts) and Jimmy Wilson (10pts) showed glimpses of what they can do.

The Filthy Dozen led 12-8, 25-12, 42-26. Veteran Wilson’s two three-pointers in the third quarter served notice that he has 25-foot range.

Amo McLean starred for Uawa, his 10-point game resplendent with athletic plays.

SE Systems’ 40-25 victory over The Young and the Useless was a fascinating game to watch. Former Ngatapa rugby man Ben McLeod, who debuted for Systems, has considerable defensive presence. Allied to that, SES captain Adrian Sparks (12pts) and guard Darius Leach (8pts) were solid against The Young and the Useless.

The Ray Noble-coached Young and the Useless have in their ranks Quentin Harvey, whose nine-point tally could easily be 20-plus a game by season’s end.

Promising Gisborne Boys’ High School junior Manaia McGhee (8pts), a member of Noble’s Year 9-10 team, took the ball to the hoop and finished some tricky plays for The Young and the Useless.

Boys’ High Black captain Sam Veitch made a three-point play to start the season against Lytton, made two dunk-shots, produced 23 points and was reasonably happy with the 55-40 result.

“We picked up our game midway through the second quarter,” said the 6ft 5in Veitch, who — though not as quick — is in many ways similar to two-time Boys’ High sportsman of the year Scott Colebourne. He is athletic and can jump.

For Lytton, Genesis Bartlett-Tamatea played the full 40 minutes for 19 points and hit two three-pointers as Lytton tried to stay with Boys’ High, who held the upper hand 14-9, 41-26, 46-30.

Lytton’s Willis Tamatea made the play of the night, splitting three defenders on the right side of the court to beat the half-time buzzer and close it to 41-26.

GBHS Red beat Campion 78-42, but there was no stopping Tahran Ward.

The Campion forward scored 18 points and took the fight to Red at close range, with younger brother Tana Ward (11pts) proving elusive in the open court.

Towards the end of 2017, the younger Ward’s outside shot came on a treat.

Boys’ High Red controlled the game 27-20, 45-25, 61-34, their captain Tyrese Tuwairua-Brown leading the league’s scorers with 29 points. Within that, he hit three three-point shots and made two three-point plays.

GBHS guard Holden Wilson (13pts) and first 15 rugby players Ofa Tauatevalu (14pts) and Khian Westrupp (10pts) gave Tuwairua-Brown scoring support and Tauatevalu was magnificent. The game comes naturally to him and he has great touch at the hoop.

With head coach Dwayne Tamatea now being able to field two Boys’ High teams, more players will play the game at senior level and if that continues season by season, the school’s stocks in the game will rise.

Tuwairua-Brown said: “Our transition offence was good — and our new boys did better than OK.”