Basketball: Injury toll hampers Tall Blacks

By PETER JESSUP

CZECH REPUBLIC 82 NZ 73

The Tall Blacks struggled without their captain and with two forwards carrying injury in the first of three tests against the Czech Republic in Christchurch tonight.

They lacked any real presence under the basket despite leading the visitors through the first quarter, staying within two points at the break and at the end of the third before being run down as the height advantage told.

The Tall Blacks' star was shooting guard Phill Jones who shot 29. But the scoring was not well-spread. Pero Cameron was left out because of a calf muscle strain he has struggled with for a few weeks. His replacement, Ed Book, also struggled with a calf injury and clearly had trouble lifting to shoot, scoring only four points.

Daryl Cartwright had a back strain and his court time was limited. Newcomer Miles Pearce looked good but drew his five fouls too quickly and was ejected after a total 10 minutes on court and with seven minutes to go.

All of which left the Tall Blacks short up front, limited in their ability to compete in the paint and relying on the spark from their guards.

Mark Dickel harried the Czechs in his usual non-stop style, Paul Henare ran the game well when on and Paora Winitana offered a third dimension, the adjustments from coach Tab Baldwin keeping the home team in the game.

But towards the end the visitors' combinations improved and, as they adjusted to the physical game and drove home their height advantage, the Tall Blacks simply got closed down.

Cameron will play in the second match of the Jeep International Series in Invercargill on Wednesday night. Dillon Boucher was ruled out when he vomited following the day's warm-up and was kept away from the other 13 squad members to prevent any spread of virus.

The Czechs lost Ales Klimes to a serious knee injury in the middle of the second quarter, reducing their bench strength. But they clearly wanted a win, top shooter Marek Stuchly playing on despite having a tooth removed mid-third spell.

Jones, who made five of 10 attempts from outside, set up a 17-7 break from the start before the Czechs called their big guys.

That slowed the points for a while but the injection of debutants Pearce at forward and guard Aaron Olson lifted the Tall Blacks again and they took a useful 29-18 lead after the first quarter.

The Czechs adjusted to the physical approach and, with Jones resting, came back into it as defensive pressure decreased the Tall Blacks' accuracy. Stanislav Votroubek, the Czechs' top points-scorer in the test series with Australia, spurred the visitors to a 38-36 lead at the break.

They picked up the pace in the third quarter but the Tall Blacks kept with them, hoop-for-hoop to make it 53-51 at three-quarter time. But they gifted penalty points that allowed the Czechs to cruise home.

Baldwin said the Tall Blacks combinations would improve and he accepted some responsibility for the loss. " I feel there were things I need to do better, I could have reacted more quickly at times and I think that will come, as it will with the players."

Tall Blacks 73: P. Jones 29, A. Olson 11, D. Cartwright 5, P. Henare, M. Dickel 5.

Czech Republic 82: M. Stuchly 19, V. Suchardas 10, S. Votroubek 9, J. Pavlik 12. First quarter NZ 29-18; halftime CR 38-36; third quarter CR 53-51.