Bradshaw, Efes On The Brink
Tagged in: Kiwis Abroad
Tall Blacks centre Craig Bradshaw’s Efes Pilsen Spor Kubulu will need to win three straight to stay alive in the Turkish Basketball League playoffs.
Efes, who finished second in the regular season, lost game one of their semifinals series against eke MeFenerbahce Ulker 76-65 on Sunday to fall behind 2-0 and sit on the brink of elimination in the best-of-five series.
Bradshaw had three points, two rebounds and an assist as Efes fell behind by nine points at halftime on their home floor, pulled within four points after three periods but were closed out 23-16 in the fourth.
In the TBL Playoffs, a team that swept the regular season series, as Fenerbahce did against Efes, automatically takes a 1-0 series lead. Third-seeded Fenerbahce can close out the series at home in game two tomorrow (NZ time), with a potential game three at the weekend.
In the Romanian Basketball League Finals, ex Tall Blacks head coach Tab Baldwin’s U Mobitelco Cluj-Napoca drew first blood against top-seeded CSU Asesoft Ploiesti but sit level at 1-1 after a game two loss.
Cluj-Napoca, the third seeds, won game one 81-72 on the road but regular season champs Ploiesti returned the favour in the best-of-seven series, winning game two 85-66. Game three is Saturday and game four Sunday (NZ time).
In the Australian Basketball Association (ABA) leagues, Kiwi Gemma Kerr, sister of Tall Fern Aneka Kerr, was a star performer for the Kilsyth Cobras in round 12 of the South East Australia Basketball League (SEABL).
Kerr had 20 points (6/13 FG, 4/7 3pt, 4/4 FT), three rebounds and an assist in 27 minutes in the Lady Cobras 77-75 win over the Bendigo Lady Braves, pushing Kilsyth into the top-four at 9-5.
Also in the SEABL, former Tall Fern Julie Ofsoski had 11 points (3/11 FG, 5/9 FT), six rebounds, two assists and a block in 31 minutes as her Frankston Lady Blues defeated the Knox Raiders 56-52, as they improved to 4-10.
Former Cantabrian Shannon Profitt continues to put up Rodman-esque rebounding number in the Queensland Australia Basketball League (QABL), pulling down 18 boards, to go with eight points (2/6 FG, 4/4 FT), four assists and a steal in 32 minutes of the Maroochydore Clippers 86-46 rout over the Bundaberg Bears in round five. The Clips remained fourth at 4-1.
Zeek Meehl and the male Clippers continued to struggle, falling to their fifth straight loss to start the QABL. Meehl had 10 points (4/9 FG, 2/6 3pt), five rebounds, four assists and a steal in 28 minutes in the 107-79 loss to the Bundaberg Bulls.
Former Basketball New Zealand high performance manager, Junior Tall Blacks coach and NBL legend Leonard King watched his Mackay Meteors lose 87-82 to the defending ABA champion Cairns Marlins at home in round five but his squad hung onto their top-four place at 4-2.
Out West, former Tall Fern Jess Spinner and her Wanneroo Wolves suffered two close losses in round eight of the Western Australia State Basketball League (SBL).
Spinner scored 12 points (3/8 FG, 1/2 3pt, 5/5 FT), four rebounds, three assists, two steals and one block in 27 minutes in a 61-60 loss to the Lakeside Lightning, then was restricted to no points (0/3 FG, 0/2 3pt), three rebounds and an assist in 16 minutes in a 76-62 loss to the Cockburn Cougars, dropping the Wolves to 3-5 and ninth.
Adrienne Gilbert’s Bankstown Bruins were not in action in round 10 of the Waratah League, while Tall Fern Angela Marino did not suit up for the Sturt Sabres in round six of the Central Australia Basketball League (CABL).
