Massive Marauders team member Luke Bradley battles for the ball with Gisborne Boys' High's Aiden Henderson in their GBA Men's Premier League game won by the Marauders, 74-67.
Auric Pocock is a match-winner.
Pocock, 15, sealed Massive Marauders’ 74-67 win against Gisborne Boys’ High School with incredible nerve.
The tall guard dropped a three-point shot to decide the late game in week 7 of the Gisborne Basketball Association’s Men’s Premier League at the YMCA.
It was an evening that also saw City Lights beat Off Limitz 84-67 and Wairoa River Hawks record their third win of the season - 51-50 over SE Systems.
GBHS, under the leadership of Felix Sparks, and the Ray Noble-coached Marauders fought out an epic up-and-down battle.
Sharpshooter Aiziah Craft-Chemis hit a three-point shot from the left wing 16 seconds before halftime to give the younger set a 39-34 lead.
Athletic Te Kani Wirepa-Hei achieved a putback for his fellow Gisborne Boys’ guard Ollie Tong for 44-41.
Marauders’ veterans kept them in touch. Dom Wilson was dynamic, Luke Bradley muscled his way to the hoop, Douglas Jones showed grace under pressure and Pocock rose to the occasion.
Jones’ tough baseline shot for 56-52, two pressure free throws for 58-52 and left-hander Rikki Noble’s three-point play for 61-55 all preceded a grandstand finish.
Both teams had four players score in double figures, but Pocock excelled. The baseline jumper he nailed for 74-66 with 38 seconds left GBHS having to score at least three times, and force shots in the process.
Muncaster’s City Lights beat Off Limitz 84-67, captain Scott Muncaster putting up 25 points and strong left-hander Paora Dewes 22.
Ryan Walters followed his skipper’s lead with two treys in a 17-point win for which they were made to work.
Old hands Carl Riini and Dillon Dolman-Tuhou showed nice touches, and the latter gave superb assists to Muncaster and Walters.
For Off Limitz, Israel Kerisome made perhaps the class play of the first half - a 15-foot bank shot.
Lights’ Kahn Grayson has been a magic player for more than a decade and his breakaway lay-up for 42-27, the last basket of the first half, served notice to all that the best athletes stay sharp.
Turanga Mauheni’s 20 point-bag for Off Limitz included six three-pointers, the third of which was an ironic riposte to a Riini airball from the free throw line.
Brixton Calipes (18) made the circus shot of week 7 off a Kerisome inbounds pass from behind the backboard.
Lights sit at the top of the nine-team table with six wins.
Game 2 drew appreciative grins from the club ball fans.
As to be expected of an SE Systems-Wairoa River Hawks clash, it was a heady mix of refined skill and manic energy, which explains the 51-50 score to the Hawks - their third victory to date.
Wairoa’s Andre Mitchell - at the top of the three-point line - refused to be phased by Systems captain Adrian Sparks on the run to reach him, and instead dropped a great jump shot for 31-26.
Moments later, SE’s Adrian Peachey, always a fierce competitor, bumped Qaadr Smith in a style reminiscent of legendary Rising Suns enforcer Butch Wills.
Like the “Mighty Butcher”, Peachey followed up the contact with a steal - SE were five points down at the time - and his side went into three-quarter time on the note of Peachey’s pass to Keenan Ruru-Poharama and Sparks hitting a baseline jumper near the hoop trailing 41-32.
The game ended in dramatic fashion.
Sefton Solomon of the Hawks scored the second-to-last field goal of the game off an inbounds pass beneath the basket for 51-48. Peachey then scored for 50 to 51.
Solomon, whose 16 points led all scorers in both teams, then fouled Ruru-Poharama on a lay-up attempt with time up.
Ruru-Poharama, who had played a solid game for nine points, missed both free throws.
Trail referee and former National Basketball League official Donna Brown-Nepia has the gift of being able to impart knowledge to players with open minds and speak honestly to those much taller than she.
Talking about the players in the three local club competitions, she said: “They’re passionate and the GBA is unique in that they allow the players to be themselves and show a little bit of emotion. It’s because they play hard”.
Men’s Premier Grade, week 7
Off Limitz 67 (Turanga Mauheni 20, Brixton Calipes 18, Israel Kerisome 16) City Lights 84 (Scott Muncaster 25, Paora Dewes 22, Carl Riini 8, Ryan Walters 8). Q1 - Off Limitz 21-15; HT - City Lights 42-27; Q3- 58-43.
SE Systems 50 (Luke Smith 14, Keenan Ruru-Poharama 9, Adrian Peachey 7, Adrian Sparks 6, William Collier 6) Wairoa City Hawks 51 (Sefton Solomon 16, Andre Mitchell 14, Qaadr Smith 10, Lee Tate 6). Q1 - SES 18-13; HT - Hawks 28-26. Q3 - 41-32.
Kiwi Lumber-Jacks beat Green Up by default.
Gisborne Boys’ High School Senior A 67 (Te Kani Wirepa-Hei 15, Izaiah Craft-Chemis 15, Ryland Bright 13, Aiden Henderson 11, Felix Sparks 7, Ollie Tong 5) Massive Marauders 74 (Dom Wilson 18, Luke Bradley 15, Auric Pocock 11, Rikki Noble 10, Sean Molloy 8, Jason Tuapawa 8).
Coach Kristi Brown was on Cloud 9 on Monday night.
Her plucky Gisborne Girls’ High School crew recorded their third win of the season, 64-62 over Whangara Old Girls, in the GBA Ladies’ League.
Pharah-James Brown struck the winning blow, Indie Nikora produced another 20-point performance for GGHS and made a trey to draw GGHS level at 54-all, while Bailey Garret-Kora put up 16 points.
These offensive numbers for GGHS were inconceivable at the start of 2025. As a unit, they have come on.
No GBA club team lets good youngsters have things all their own way and this was brought home to all by Whangara’s Ihipera Mackey.
She hit five three-point shots in her 37-point haul, the biggest individual tally for any club ball player this week.
GGHS found inspiration in a 35-foot shot from Ruby Westrupp for 42-40, and coach Brown could scarcely be happier.
“It was a good game: WOGS are a great team. What a finish too - a three-point shot from Ihi for them to be up by a point in the last minute and then a three-pointer from Pharah-James Brown to win it with three seconds left to play. I’m very proud of the girls.”
O’Shae Rangihaeata is having a dream season.
Rangihaeata amassed 25 points, including four three-pointers, and scored her team’s first 10 points in the Spark Plugs’ 48-37 win against SE Systems.
SES’s Jeanie Pattison (18pts) answered a 25-foot shot from Rangihaeta and opened the Plugs’ account with a classic play - a head fake, move left and jump hook.
She had a grand duel with Rangihaeata.
SE’s Jasmine Sparks added a new dimension to the contest in hitting a three-pointer from the left corner.
But with 22 seconds to play in the first period, one of the club league’s defining characteristics - tough defence - came to the fore.
The Plugs’ Lischa-Rae Smith drove to the hoop and collided with SE’s Mereono Rangihaeata, who picked up the foul, and Smith made the first of two free throws for 14-13 to Spark Plugs.
Plugs’ Nevaeh Smith made a remarkable reverse lay-up for 19-13, but Pattison later stole the ball from her and tore away to score.
O’Shae Rangihaeata, Sparks and Pattison all shone. They were as committed on defence as they were to running and gunning.
“Everyone’s enjoying getting together and running the floor,” former Otago Gold Rush guard Pattison said. “We’re learning to play to each other’s strengths and starting to see real improvement.”
GBA Ladies’ League, week 7
Gisborne Girls’ High School 64 (Indie Nikora 20, Bailey Garret-Kora 16, Bentley Morice-Munro 8, Pharah-James Brown 8, Te Makoha Porter 6) Whangara Old Girls 62 (Ihipera Mackey 37, Ishtar Mackey-Huriwai 7, Ruby Westrupp 5). Q1 - WOGS 10-7; HT - 24-22; Q3 - 42-40.
Spark Plugs 46 (O’Shae Rangihaeata 25, Nevaeh Smith 7, Arihia Tuhaka-Haapu 6) SE Systems 37 (Jeanie Pattison 18, Jasmine Sparks 7, Mereono Rangihaeata 5). Q1 - Spark Plugs 18-13; HT - 27-18; Q3 - 40-31.