Basketball: Defending champs fail to pull crowd

Auckland Stars 105 Canterbury Rams 93 

The Auckland Stars ground out a tough win over the Canterbury Rams yesterday but hardly anyone saw it.

If the players' families and officials were taken off the attendance total, there would have been fewer than 200 watching.

The Stars are a rarity in sport - two-time defending champions, unbeaten at home and yet they cannot draw a crowd.

The numbers at the ASB centre in Kohimarama yesterday were well down on those at Trusts Stadium for earlier games this season and those who used to attend the ASB venue when the Stars played there in the 1990s.

Outside Auckland crowds are good and the Stars are an added attraction.

"We're used to it," said Stars coach Kenny Stone. "I don't know what the answer is. We're playing entertaining basketball."

Lindsay Tait played a nice inside game yesterday, captain Casey Frank provided the lay-ups and Daryl Cartwright the blocks and put-backs that saw Auckland out to a 30-25 lead by the end of the first period and they gradually extended that.

The Rams' smothering defence began to tire as Auckland's bench depth and the fatigue factor kicked in, Canterbury having beaten North Harbour 74-65 on Saturday night.

Their import guard Dennis Trammell kept them in it, scoring 20 points by halftime and a game-high 37.

But by then Auckland were leading 60-49, shooting with 66 per cent accuracy to the Rams' 48 per cent.

Despite fading in and out on defence during the run home, the Stars were never threatened.

"We're not consistent in what we do," Stone agreed. "We have to compete at a higher level all the time."

Auckland faces a two-game road trip to Canterbury on Friday and Otago next Saturday.

Harbour started slow and sloppy on Saturday night and were down 29-17 after the first quarter, a gap they never looked like making up.

They have had disruptions with a change of import from Aussie Anthony Susjnara to American Anthony Lackey and will need to gel quickly for a road trip to Nelson and then Wellington, otherwise their play-off hopes look forlorn.

Rams point guard Jeremy Kench scored 18, took six rebounds and four steals and made three assists. Troy McLean was best for the Heat with 20.

The Waikato Pistons continue to put their season on track with a 92-79 victory over Manawatu, import Vidal Massiah top-scoring with 26 and local Ben Hill scoring 21 and taking 12 rebounds to continue his consistently good season.

Waikato were just two points up going into the last quarter but came home 27-16. Aaron Nowell scored 13 and took 15 rebounds to continue his good season for the Jets.

Otago also had a new import with Branduinn Fullove replacing Nate Connolly, but he must be wondering what he's got into, scoring 13 as the Nuggets slumped 100-67 in Nelson on Saturday night, their seventh loss from seven.

The Giants turned on a 31-13 second quarter and never looked back. Eric Freeman shot nine of 13 field goals, three of five three-pointers and the one free-throw he was awarded.

Yesterday they made it eight-from-eight, going down 76-71 to the Saints in Wellington in a brave defeat. Wellington were up 14 by the main break but the Nuggets came back to score 14 to seven in a scrappy third quarter and closed to within two points.