Bradshaw Outside Playoffs
Tagged in: Kiwis Abroad, Tall Blacks, Tall Ferns
Tall Blacks centre Craig Bradshaw is, for now, on the outside looking in on the playoffs in Spain.
Bradshaw and Grupo Begar Leon put up a fight but eventually fell 82-78 at home to competition leaders CB Valladolid in round 32 of the LEB Gold, Spain’s second tier league, on Sunday.
Bradshaw went scoreless (0/1 FG) with a rebound in 13 minutes as Leon dropped back to 10th at 16-16 with the loss, one place out of the playoffs with two rounds remaining in the regular season.
Leon host 11th-placed Caceres 2016 Basket (15-17) in round 33, with their season finale at seventh-placed Ford Burgos (18-14) on May 15. Bradshaw and Co will likely need two wins to move into the top-nine, where the regular season champion automatically gains promotion to the ACB, while the remaining eight play for the second promotion berth.
After a two-week lay-off, Tall Blacks coach Nenad Vucinic and his second-ranked BC Kalev/Cramo team will start their playoffs quest for the KML championship in Estonia this weekend, with game one of their best-of-five semifinal series against TTU KK.
In Australia, former Tall Ferns guard Lisa Pardon had 10 points (4/10 FG, 2/4 3pt), four boards and a steal in 35 minutes in a 59-55 road win for the Bulleen Boomers over Diamond Valley in round six of the Big V women’s league on Saturday in Melbourne. The result lifted Bulleen to third at 5-2.
Current Tall Ferns Lisa Wallbutton and Toni Edmondson put up big numbers but could not prevent the Albury-Wodonga Lady Bandits, coached by Tall Ferns video technician Ken Hamilton, falling on Saturday on the road in round eight of the South East Australia Basketball League (SEABL).
Wallbutton posted 20 points (7/14 FG, 6/8 FT), eight rebounds, a steal and block in 33 minutes, while Edmondson put up a double-double with 10 points (5/15 FG, 0/1 3pt), 10 boards, three steals, two assists and a block in 40 minutes as Albury lost 67-65 to Dandenong, leaving them eighth at 2-4.
Also in the SEABL, Kiwi Kerr sisters, Tania and Gemma, helped the Kilsyth Lady Cobras to a 74-65 home win over Sandringham on Saturday, leaving them a spot behind the Lady Bandits at 2-4.
Tania Kerr dropped in eight points (3/3 FG, 1/1 3pt, 1/2 FT), a rebound and steal in 11 minutes, while Gemma Kerr had two points (0/4 FG, 0/1 3pt, 2/2 FT), seven boards, four assists and a steal in 26 minutes.
Further north, former NBL Rookie of the Year Shaun Tilby managed 15 points (6/11 FG, 0/2 3pt, 3/4 FT), three rebounds, three assists, two steals and a block in 30 minutes as his Gold Coast Goannas went down hard 124-77 at home to the unbeaten Cairns Marlins in round two of the Queensland Basketball League (QBL) on Sunday.
Former Waikato junior Te Puao Silver scored three points (1/4 FG, 1/1 FT) and three rebounds in 17 minutes as Melbourne suffered their first loss, a 91-88 road loss to Diamond Valley on Saturday in round six of the Big V youth league. The Tigers surrendered their lead in the standings to Diamond Valley with the loss, now second at 6-1.
