Basketball: 13 wins in a row for Sharks

Sharks coach Paul Henare has led his team to 13 wins in a row. Photo / Getty Images

The Southland Sharks have extended their remarkable winning streak to 13 after a dominant final quarter saw them topple the Nelson Giants 88-73 this afternoon.

The Sharks had faced the daunting challenge of playing three times in four nights, yet came away from the road trip with three superb wins, beating the Supercity Rangers on Thursday and the Manawatu Jets on Friday before this afternoon's triumph.

The 13th straight win sees the Sharks close in on the all-time National Basketball League record of 15 wins, held by the 2001 Waikato Titans.

This afternoon's clash doubled as a top of the table contest, with Nelson coming into the game as a chance to tie the Sharks atop the ladder.

They started off strongly in that quest with a 38-30 halftime lead, but the Sharks came back with a strong third quarter to tie the contest going into the final period.

The Giants struggled due to foul trouble, with star import McKenzie Moore only able to play 24 minutes, while fellow import guard DeRonn Scott fouled out.

As a result, the Sharks pulled away in the fourth, holding a listless Giants offence to just 11 points to take the 15 point victory.

Australian import Todd Blanchfield had 30 points and seven rebounds for Southland after a run of relatively quiet outings. Tai Wesley had eight points, 13 rebounds and five assists, while Duane Bailey added nine points and 16 rebounds.

Kevin Braswell - who will retire at the end of the season - had 16 points but shot 4/17 from the field.

For Nelson, Mika Vukona had 12 points and 10 rebounds, while Moore added 14 points and seven rebounds as the Giants were left to rue shooting a woeful 7/33 from beyond the arc.

Southland are now 14-3 on the season with one game remaining, while the Giants have dropped to 12-5.

The loss puts the Giants behind the Wellington Saints, who moved to 12-4 with a 97-71 win over the now 0-16 Taranaki Mountain Airs.

The scheduled game between the Hawke's Bay Hawks and the Canterbury Rams did not go ahead due to the Rams being stranded in Wanganui due to flooding.