Hawks skipper Jarrod Kenny tries to make life difficult for Taranaki counterpart Alonzo Burton in Napier. Photo/Photosport
No doubt Taranaki skipper Alonzo Burton's plan of action was pretty straightforward - lead his troops out to victory in Napier tonight.
Burton, of Napier, did just that as he scored a game-high 26 points to lead Augusta Taranaki Mountainairs to a nail-biting 90-84 extra-time victory in week nine of the Sal's Pizza National Basketball League match at the Pettigrew-Green Arena in Taradale.
But little did the predominantly Hawks fans know that in doing so the 24-year-old guard had perhaps got the best gift for his father, former Hawks championship-winning player Willie Burton, who turns 56 tomorrow.
American-born Willie and Kiwi wife Suzanne were watching their son lead the visitors through, at times, a tempestuous affair, which was locked at 83-83 in regulation time, for just their third win this season.
After the final whistle, the proud parents gave their son a hug, as he warmed down with teammates.
"It's a happy birthday to my father tomorrow so I want to wish him all the best," said a beaming Burton.
He felt Taranaki had played well and were always expecting an arm wrestle from the Zico Coronel-coached Hawks who had "a lot of international players".
"We knew coming in here it was going to be a grind and battle so we talked about it in the changing rooms because we've been in so many close games."
Burton said playing here often evoked myriad emotions but it was great to eke out a victory with so many family and friends around.
"It's special, it's special. When you walk away with a win like that it means a lot."
The belief was fever pitch among the visitors to make the Final Four playoffs in August.
"Being a captain this year, I'm just like my brothers so we're playing with the mentality to win and try to use this as a momentum to carry on," he said.
Burton, who attended the Tall Blacks coach Paul Henare's greater squad training recently, said it was hard to maintain the elite standard at the camps but tonight he had done that.
"It was a credit to my teammates, too, who were awesome tonight in coming away together with a win."
The former St John's College pupil revealed the Airs were prepared for the Hawks to make a late charge and they impressed that during numerous on-court huddles.
The mantra, of course, was to focus on their processes in taking ownership and they did that from the opening quarter.
Burton made his intentions clear, claiming 14 of their 19 points in the first quarter and earning a 30-second rest before the buzzer.
For the hosts, swingman Ethan Rusbatch and Dion Prewster, as well as shooting guard Everard Bartlett shared the spoils - 5 and 4 each, respectively, for the total 17 in the first 10 minutes.
The notable absentee in the Hawks' equation tonight was Australian import centre Angus Brandt who was away at the country of his birth to partake in Boomer international duties.
Half way through the second half, Taranaki had a five-point buffer (25-20) with the Hawks having a short, sharp rebuff from the rim although both sides were guilty of falling foul of the shot clock.
When play resumed following a timeout, Airs import Roger Woods dropped one from downtown before the lead extended to 31-20 within minutes.
Kenny stopped the rot with a three-pointer and US import Jamie Skeen emulated his feat on the shot-clock buzzer to close the gap to 26-33.
With less than a minute left in the spell, the Hawks made a move to eclipse Taranaki 34-33 as the rim spurned Skeen's advances for a three-point smooch.
The 17-14 reply was a testimony to Kenny and his men's defence but the rebounding still needed to be sharper.
Import Javonte Douglas (10 points and four rebounds) was the key mover for the visitors while Skeen had joined the Hawks' party with eight points and six rebounds.
The third quarter was undeniably the "moving one" as the lead exchanged several times before the Hawks established a 54-47 margin with two minutes left on the electronic scoreboard.
The pressure started mounting on the Airs who fell foul of the shot clock soon after as both sides lost possession at the coal face from some tenacious defence.
With 37:2 left on the clock, Prewster and Woods exchanged fiery words before Skeen tried to intervene as the pair clashed chests. An incensed Woods struck Skeen in the face with his arm before calmer members prevented the skirmish from escalating into anything worse.
The Hawks edged out Airs 18-14 (57-50) for a breather.
Early in the final quarter, a Prewster challenge saw Douglas hurtle across the floor after a surge for the rim at the attacking end.
However, the pair continued with heated exchanges in the driving lanes and during charity line throws. Prewster also ended up succumbing to gravity in what smacked of some "payback time".
With 4:27 to go, the hosts led 70-64 but by then the bodies were flying everywhere, shot clocks were going off like sirens and players dropping three-pointers were turning around to stick it to their opposition benches, including Burton.
Burton rubbed it in when he stole one from Kenny for a half-court sprint to the basket and then Rogers, after Prewster coughed up the ball on attack, fed one to US import Xavier Smith under the rim for a dunk to level 72-72 with 1:30 to go.
All of a sudden, even a single point from the free-throw line looked like the going currency as the Hawks nudged ahead 73-72.
With 32:9 to go, Douglas found himself on the charity line but, much to the thrill of foot-stomping PG Arena faithful trying to distract him, could only manage one to level 73-73.
Suddenly Burton was saddled with possession but with six seconds left Kenny thwarted his pass towards the circle as nervy coaches called a timeout.
From the ensuing play, Douglas had the chance to make the difference but his speculator from an oblique angle near the sideline rimmed out for extra time.
Smith drew first blood after the Hawks were again guilty of ball watching as he casually collected a rebound for two points.
Within two minutes, Burton, Woods and Smith helped Airs extend the lead to 82-73 as Coronel called timeout.
Prewster nailed a three-pointer and Rusbatch added two before Bartlett claimed a bonus two from the free-throw line to catch up to 82-80 with 1:21 to go.
However, a Rusbatch foul saw Burton on the other end for two free throws but only managed one, 83-80.
Kenny nailed one out of two from the free-throw line but ill discipline cost Taranaki when Smith immediately fouled Prewster on the rebound to level the score at 83-83.
Smith was fouled out and continued to exchange verbal volleys from his bench with spirited members of a corporate table after Airs coach Trent Adam had given him some finger-wagging advice on the way in.
However, the Airs were well on their way to a victory as the rim spurned Hawks' long-range advances.
With four seconds to go, O'Riley bounced out the time as the visiting bench exchanged high fives and bear hugs.
A disappointed Prewster lamented coming up short towards the business end where they had coughed up some easy points to the victors.
"In a game like this you can't afford to do that."
He put down the skirmishes to teams simply seeking a mental edge.
"From their record they showed they are a pretty talented team and lost a few close games so we knew they were going to come out fighting and scrapping.
"With few people competing that's going to happen so it's nothing personal but just guys trying to get the win."
Prewster felt they lost the game when they let the Airs rack up cheap points in the first two minutes of the five-minute extra spell.
"We come out, they hit a three. We miss a box out, they get a dunk. They get another steal and get another dunk so that's like seven unanswered points.
"In an overtime game like that it's too easy so you have to make that team work for late shot-clock shots rather than easy uncontested ones."
Prewster said it would have been nice to have had the services of Brandt but it was no excuse because they had failed to step up collectively tonight to reflect their depth.
Skeen claimed the only double-double of the game, emulating his skipper in playing the entire game.
Result (Hawks first): Taylor Hawks 84 (Dion Prewster 19pts; Jamie Skeen 18pts, 16 reb; Jarrod Kenny 18pts, 9 reb, 7 asts; Ethan Rusbatch 12pts) Augusta Taranaki Mountainairs 90 (Alonzo Burton 26pts, 7 reb; Javonte Douglas 25pts, 8 reb; Roger Woods 16pts, 7 reb; Xavier Smith 11pts;
Houston O'Riley 10pts, 7 asts).
Quarters: 1st 17-19. 2nd 34-33 (17-14). 3rd 57-50 (18-14). 4th 83-83 (18-23).
ET: 84-90 (11-17).
Rotorua Boys' won with a last-play penalty after their prop reached for the ball in a scrum, sealing victory over Hastings Boys' with a clutch final kick.