Point to prove for CL

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

They’ve put it all back on.

The GBA men’s club basketball league is now the same size that it was last year — its biggest ever — with 12 teams in action at the YMCA and the John McFarlane Memorial Sports Centre of Gisborne Boys’ High School.

In entering a record number of teams — four — Boys’ High has made a huge contribution to the showpiece winter league.

Tonight Max Scott’s GBHS Red will take on Scott Muncaster and City Lights at 7.45pm. Muncaster and company have a point to prove. Then-defending champions City Lights were knocked out of the 2018 semi-finals 73-62 by Uawa only to see Scott’s crew oust the Filthy Dozen 74-66. GBHS went on to hammer a depleted Uawa 74-47 in the final.

Muncaster’s tough unit, coming as they are off a 60-66 loss to Reggie Namana’s Old School, cannot afford to allow Boys’ High guard Holden Wilson to hit three three-point shots as he did last Monday. He dropped 10 of the same in Gisborne Boys’ GF victory. Muncaster made two long jump-shots in his 16 point-tally in Week 1 and tonight will definitely look to punish the younger team in transition.

Old School will want to produce their second dominant performance of the season against the Filthy Dozen, whose big man Dale Hailey returned to the YMCA with a vengeance after a year away from basketball. Hailey scored 31 points on opening night in a 68-32 loosener against GBHS Black, but this evening additional punch from Willie Brown, Wi Brown, Dom and Jimmy Wilson is required. Siaki Tui and Chad Rose always rebound well at both ends of the court but must get in and up quickly against the titans of Old School.

Gisborne Boys’ Black play SE Systems at 5.45pm and it should be good-value viewing: Systems went down 37-76 to Max Scott and Red in Week 1, but SES’s Marty Ngaira produced nine points and his captain Adrian Sparks is up for a big game; his big-hearted effort never fails to turn up points or rebounds in some measure.

At the Sports Centre, GBHS Blue will debut against a Lytton team totally deserving of their 48-44 win v Old Surfers last Monday. Ben Greaves’ LHS made a great start to this club season: he scored eight points and teammate Darius Waititi-Leach worked hard for 11pts. Blue features promising juniors, so this should be a good game.

Gisborne Boys’ other young team, the Wolfpack, will clash with the Surfers at 6.45pm.

Campion College — who beat the Wolfpack 68-33 in Week 1 — will be out to repeat the dose against new team and unknown quantity the Gizzy Gilas in the late game.

MEN’S DRAW FOR TONIGHT

YMCA — 5.45pm: Gisborne Boys’ High School Black v SE Systems

6.45pm: Filthy Dozen v Old School

7.45pm: GBHS Red v City Lights

John McFarlane Memorial Sports Centre, Gisborne Boys’ High School — 5.45pm: GBHS Blue v Lytton High School

6.45pm: GBHS Wolfpack v Old Surfers

7.45pm: Campion College v Gizzy Gilas

WOMEN’S DRAW FOR TOMORROW

YMCA — 5.45pm: YMCA Riverina v Paikea Nation

6.45pm: Gisborne Girls’ High School A v Lytton High School

7.45pm: Ngati Porou v Campion College