Raiders 69 (Allies Rangihuna 19, Daley Riri 14, Isileli Kamoto-Taliauli 12, Mana Nepia 10, Haeora Kerekere-Puke 5) SE Systems 63 (Luke Smith 19, Tomas Fernandez 16, William Collier 11, Adrian Sparks 6, Keenan Ruru-Poharama 5). Q1 - Raiders 17-12; HT - 32-27; Q3 - 56-38.
Wairoa River Hawks 68 (Qaadr Smith 19, Sefton Solomon 16, Andre Mitchell 13, Kauri Maxwell-Claire 9, Lee Tate 4) Gisborne Boys’ High School Senior A 74 (Aidan Henderson 25, Kelly Rangihuna 13, Ryland Bright 11, Ollie Tong 8, Izaiah Craft-Chemis 7, Gio Green-Smith 5). Q1 - Hawks 19-16; HT - 37-37; Q3 - 57-53.
Massive Marauders 50 (Jason Tuapawa 16, Simon Wilson 12, Luke Bradley 9, Sean Molloy 6) Off Limitz 60 (Brixton Calipes 30, Turanga Mauheni 14, Rihai Harris 8). Q1 - Off Limitz 11-10; HT - 28-25; Q3 - 45-35.
City Lights 76 (Scott Muncaster 26, Paora Dewes 24, Dillon Dolman-Tuhou 10, Ryan Walters 10, Max Scott 6) Kiwi Lumber-Jacks 37 (Rewha Rameka 13, Izaiah Kerisome 12, Liam Bentley 6). Q1 - City Lights 20-14; HT - 40-21; Q3 - 63-28.
O’Shae Rangihaeata did something at the Gisborne YMCA on Monday night that’s never been done before.
In the 36-year history of Gisborne Basketball Association ladies’ hoops, no game until Spark Plugs v WOGS on Monday had ended on the note of three consecutive three-point shots from three different players - Kayla Namana (32 feet), Ihipera Mackey (38 feet), Rangihaeata (47 feet) - tit for tat, further back each time.
Rangihaeata hit the game-winning trey from the right sideline with one second left for a 43-42 win to the Plugs in the YMCA.
She, Kayla Namana and Kohine Aupouri attacked the basket and gave as good as they got against the GBA’s toughest team.
WOGS’ Mackey (17 points) led all scorers in Round 2’s most memorable contest.
SE Systems beat Gisborne Girls’ High School 57-39 in Game 1, despite a 20-point game from Indie Nikora.
In Men’s Premier action in the Y, Week 5 saw Gisborne Boys’ High School go to the top of the eight-team table with a 74-68 win over the Wairoa River Hawks.
Aiden Henderson scored 25 points for GBHS in a feisty Game 2.
It was a tight affair from the tip and sharp refereeing played its part. Eruera Ihimaera-Wikotu made an excellent call for progress on Gisborne Boys’ Ollie Tong at 33-33.
It was 37-37 at halftime in a game that featured plays for the purists, as when Ryland Bright found teammate Kelly Rangihuna on a cut to the hoop left side to put GBHS 51-46 in front.
The Hawks’ Qaadr Smith wowed the crowd with six astounding assists.
Game 1, a 69-63 win to the Raiders over SE Systems, produced superb individual plays in all four quarters.
SE Systems’ Adrian Sparks scored after four previous put-back attempts in the opening period.
SES’s latest acquisition, Sam Chademana fed the player in the low-post - Tomas Fernandez - for Fernandez to score over man-mountain Nelson Brown.
Allies Rangihuna bounced off Sparks to hit a fall-away jumper from behind the backboard, left side, at 44-35.
And one of the strongest young forwards in club basketball, Haeora Kerekere-Puke, hit a memorable three-pointer for 63-50 to the Raiders.
Brixton Calipes, of Off Limitz, led all Premier Grade scorers with 30 points in the new club’s 60-50 Game 3 win against Massive Marauders.
The compact, quick Calipes did it all offensively, hitting treys from the wings and the top of the key and also giving perhaps the dish of the night - a magic bounce pass and assist to Israel Kerisome on the run for 30-27.
Calipes and teammate Turanga Mauheni hit four three-pointers apiece, even as the Marauders’ Simon Wilson too found space and enough gaps to put up 12 points.
For the Marauders in the last fortnight, another most encouraging sign has been the spring and keenness of big man Jason Tuapawa. Beyond his 16 points, Tuapawa’s rebounding is solid.
Game 4 began with hilarity befitting the late game, with City Lights’ Paora Dewes grabbing the ball with both hands at the tip (an infraction since 1892).
Dewes made the first three-point play of the City Lights v Kiwi Lumber-Jacks for 11-6 off a slick pass from Ryan Walters.
He returned the favour Walters’ way on the other side of the court for 52-46.
Five sharpshooters hit three-pointers for Lights in their 76-37 win.
Captain Scott Muncaster sank three treys while the unofficial vote for athletic play of the night went to the Jacks’ Rewha Rameka - a crossover dribble at speed to get by David Glendenning and score.
