Rangers veteran forward Dillon Boucher finds Hawks Aussie import centre Angus Brandt too much to handle. Photo/Paul Taylor
Rangers veteran forward Dillon Boucher finds Hawks Aussie import centre Angus Brandt too much to handle. Photo/Paul Taylor
Win or lose, if a team harbours desires to make the Final Four playoffs later this winter then they will need to, at least, show they are making incremental gains.
Taylor Corporation Hawks arguably did against 2 Cheap Cars Supercity Rangers in their 93-84 victory in Napier tonight inweek eight of the Sal's National Basketball League match in Napier.
The parochial will argue a win's a win but tonight's effort seemed a little laboured at times and would have had Hawks coach Zico Coronel reaching for the heart pills at the Pettigrew-Green Arena, Taradale.
Perhaps the anxiety levels were higher because the scores on the electronic scoreboards were playing a game of their own so if you are a statistics-driven fan then allow for a point each way tonight.
Regrettably the hosts started sluggishly as they had done against NBL leaders Cigna Wellington Saints in the previous round last Sunday.
The unforced errors, stop-start passages of play and a reluctance to rebound would have had Coronel threading his worry beads.
But then again, maybe the coach is simply playing cat-and-mouse games in the predominantly home stretch of games.
It was obvious the All Blacks v France second test at the Cake Tin from 7.30pm had taken its toll on the crowd but those who came were treated to a nail-biter.
Maybe, just maybe, it had something to the PG Arena faithful believing the Hawks were going to walk all over the Rangers. It was anything but that although one could argue the hosts had the visitors' measure and were toying with them.
If the team had started lackadaisically then don't worry as Australian import Angus Brandt showed his worth from the word go with another double-double this season, after returning from abroad following a stint with the ANBL All Stars team last week.
The centre claimed 22 points and pulled down 17 rebounds, 13 of them defensively, and drew five fouls in his 39:43 minutes.
But the game-high points belonged to US import forward Jamie Skeen on 25.
Captain Jarrod Kenny also came to play, scoring 12 points, taking nine rebounds and five assists in his 39:26 minutes.
Tall Black swingman Ethan Rusbatch added 14 points.
For the visitors, forward Marcel Jones top scored with 23 points and claimed eight rebounds with captain Dillon Boucher matching him on the boards.
Guard Clayton Wilson scored 17 points while veteran point guard Lindsay Tait added 14 points.
The Hawks did a good job in keeping Dominique Kelman-Poto on a leash with just 12 points.
At the halfway mark of the first quarter, the Rangers led 15-6 before Coronel called for a timeout.
When the time drained out for the buzzer, the Fiba LiveStats was at odds with the electronic clock at the PG Arena - the former gave the Rangers 24-13 lead while the latter had it locked at 26-12.
US import Jamie Skeen claimed a match-high 25 points. Photo/Paul Taylor
One can only assume it had to do with a basket that the referees had allowed after the buzzer.
With 6:45 remaining in the second quarter and another timeout, the Jarrod Kenny-captained Hawks had closed the gap to 19-30.
Brandt was starting to debate refereeing calls with Rangers coach Jeff Green as the Hawks crept into the under-10 margin to trail 26-35.
The hosts had started scrapping for possession more as Boucher took a dive near the Hawks' bench.
Everard Bartlett, back from the Fiba 3 x 3 campaign for his country, drew applause for a deposit from outside the arc but Jones also had the Rangers' bench up after a basket and drawing a foul. Bartlett went on to drop three three-pointers.
With 2:57 to go, Tait was up, arms raised, howling about the score on the electronic clock.
Suddenly, it was the turn of the blokes in the forest green strips to lose traction with the hoop as Kelman-Poto and Jones both rimmed out from downtown, the lead down to 40-33.
The spell closed, 48-42, to the visitors amid controversy with referees Ryan Jones, Yalla Edwards and Duran Whiu deliberating before disallowing a basket on the buzzer, much to the dismay of an irate Green who had walked on to the court to remonstrate.
Hawks swingman Hyrum Harris takens on Rangers forward Dillon Boucher. Photo/Paul Taylor
It was obvious by that stage the Rangers had the edge in just about every department.
The glaring statistics was the 22-16 rebounding in favour of the Rangers, something that was exposed in the losing match, 86-77, to defending champions Saints.
The third quarter started ominously with Brandt rebounding successfully only for Kenny to squander possession in counterattack for Jones to nail a three-pointer.
Mitchell Newton goes up for a basket with Junior Ale (right) on his case in Napier tonight. Photo/Paul Taylor
They had undergone a major transformation. The hunger and intent had taken over.
The skirmish, with 1:48 to go, wasn't surprising as the Hawks led 87-80. Skeen had gone down on the attacking end, howling and complaining: "The floor is slippery."
At the other end of the court, a peace treaty was negotiated as players from both sides tried to keep Bartlett and Jones apart.
That brought a 10-minute halt to play as referees deliberated with table officials and the visitors unhappy with what the electronic board was displaying.
The score was adjusted to 87-84 but the Hawks held their nerves after veteran Tait caught Tall Black Ethan Rusbatch napping with an attempted steal that prompted a turnover.
The Rangers made nothing of it to the credit of the victors.
