Dogfight In Palmy
Tagged in: NBL
While the race for playoff spots heats up, two of the Dominion Finance NBL’s stragglers showed pride runs 10 deep as the Marley Canterbury Rams and Property Brokers Manawatu Jets turned on a double overtime thriller at Arena Manawatu.
When the dust settled, the Rams had avenged their loss at home last month, providing a more balanced offensive performance to emerge 129-125 winners.
Canterbury seemed to have victory well in hand with a 12-point lead heading into the fourth quarter, but conceded a 14-3 run to the Jets and eventually needed a pair of free throws from American centre John Whorton with 10 seconds remaining to force overtime.
Manawatu import Kantrail Horton hit a three-pointer to send the contest into a second additional period, before Kiwi Gerard Bowden gave the Rams an edge and Whorton stepped forward again with a crucial three-point play to put the game beyond reach for the hosts.
Import Joey Harrell enjoyed probably his best outing for Canterbury this season with 30 points (11/19 FG, 3/6 3pt, 5/5 FT), but a key was the support he received from Bowden (29 points, 4/7 3pt), point guard Jeremy Kench (28 points, nine rebounds, six assists and six steals) and Whorton (23 points and nine rebounds).
By contrast, the Jets offence rested almost solely with imports Keith Davis (42 points and 17 rebounds) and Horton (40 points, 8/16 3pt). They paid the price of that dependence when Davis collected his fifth foul with 1m 40s remaining in the second OT, allowing Whorton the freedom he needed to operate in the crunch.
Manawatu actually enjoyed a possession edge, mainly through Davis’ efforts around the boards, but chose to bomb away from long range with mixed rewards. On the other hand, the Rams converted 54.9% FG and 50% (14/28) form the arc.
Canterbury and Manawatu now have three wins each, one clear of league cellar dwellers Cartridge World Otago Nuggets.
Dominion Finance NBL Round 10
Arena Manawatu, Palmerston North
Marley Canterbury Rams 129 (Joey Harrell 30, Gerard Bowden 29, Jeremy Kench 28, John Whorton 23) Property Brokers Manawatu Jets 125 (Keith Davis 42, Kantrail Horton 40, Stacey Lambert 13) 2OT
1Q: 25-20
HT: 48-48 (23-28)
3Q: 85-73 (37-25)
4Q: 104-104 (19-31)
OT: 115-115 (11-11)
2OT: 129-125 (14-10)
Jets-Rams Box Score (21KB html)
