Basketball: Youngsters stand out for Tall Blacks

Casey Frank.

Youth got its chance to shine for the Tall Blacks last night, as they accounted for the Mississauga Power - a Toronto-based all-star outfit - 92-65 at the four-team tournament at Szenchen, China.

Ahead 39-33 at halftime, the New Zealand jumped on their opponents after the break to build some comfort into their lead (27-14 third quarter), then let their rookies loose to seal the deal down the stretch.

"Initially, I think we were a bit surprised by their physicality, but we did a good job of weathering the storm," said veteran forward Casey Frank.

"The Canadians actually played pretty well together, better than you'd expect from an all-star team like that.

"But during that third quarter, our senior leadership stretched the lead out to about 20, with Mika Vukona doing a good job of setting the tone with his determination and athleticism.

"We had all our young guys out on the court at the end, and it was a lot of fun for us older guys and the coaching staff to watch them dominate."

With several experienced performers unavailable for this Chinese tour, coach Nenad Vucinic has invested heavily in promising youngsters to help develop depth in the international programme.

The playing line-up that closed out this result was an all-rookie combination of guards Izayah Mauriohooho Le'afa (16) and Brook Ruscoe, forwards Reuben Te Rangi (19) and Jordan Ngatai, and centre Jack Salt (17).

Salt has been starting in the middle, but came off the bench tonight for 16 points tonight, ruling the paint through the closing stages for eight rebounds. Mauriohooho Le'afa started and logged 14 minutes at the point, while Ruscoe hit a pair of three-pointers for eight points in a three-minute cameo.

Guard Corey Webster matched Salt's output with 16 points to lead the Tall Blacks scoring for the fourth straight outing. Tom Abercrombie began to settle into the rotation after his late arrival, contributing 13 points, five rebounds and two blocks, while Vukona had nine points and 10 rebounds.

After two wins, the Kiwis will look to extend their streak against local Chinese Basketball League side Liaoning, which beat the Canadians by 18 points two nights ago. That game is timed for early tomorrow morning NZT.

New Zealand 92 (Corey Webster 16, Jack Salt 16, Tom Abercrombie 13, Casey Frank 11, Everard Bartlett 10, Mika Vukona 9, Brook Ruscoe 8, Reuben Te Rangi 7, Jordan Ngatai 2) Mississauga Power 65