Basketball New Zealand

Basketball New Zealand

The final four and championship dream ended for the New Zealand boys team at the Australia Under-16 National Championships in Kalamunda, Western Australia, on Wednesday.

With a win guaranteeing them a place in the top four playoff, NZ fell to their third straight loss, 78-71 to New South Wales Metro, leaving the Kiwis to contemplate the fifth-eighth playoff as they sit out the final round of pool play on Thursday.

Elliot Noble led NZ with 20 points on 6-of-12 shooting, with five rebounds and five assists, while Jordan Ngatai had 18 points on 7-of-9 shooting, including three of four three-point attempts and Alonzo Burton produced 10 points and six rebounds.

Again a poor second quarter cost NZ, losing the period by seven points to trail by two at halftime. The scores remained tied going into the fourth, but NSW Metro stepped it up, winning 25-20, as the Kiwis converted 5-of-15 in the period.

The Kiwi girls came agonisingly close to their first win of the tournament, a fourth quarter comeback falling just short in a 79-76 loss to previously winless Western Australia Country, dropping them to 0-5 before today’s final pool game against Tasmania (1-4).

Kayla Kiriau hit five of her nine shots, top-scoring with 13 points and five rebounds, while Aleesha Coulter added 10 points and four steals and Moengaroa Subritzsky with nine points and six rebounds.

A 19-8 second quarter put NZ behind by 13 points after halftime but converted 7-of-14 from the field in a 22-14 third period that got them back into the game. WA Country held on despite making only three field goals in the fourth quarter, the telling statistic for the Kiwis being 41 percent, 11-of-27, from the free-throw line.