Basketball New Zealand

Harbour Heat Reserves

Even without their NBL players Dan Ryan and Brandon Brighouse, the Mexicali Fresh Harbour Heat Reserves still maintained their undefeated record in round four of the Conference Basketball League (CBL) Northern Conference.

Forward Michael Dawson had 23 points and 15 rebounds and guard Karl Noyer added 20 points as the Heat Reserves improved to 6-0 with a 78-72 win over West Ballaz Massey at AUT University on Saturday.

Dawson shot 7-of-13 from the field and 8-of-9 from the foul-line, while Conner Kerlin added 10 points and four assists for Harbour, who jumped on Massey early, taking a 10-point lead after the first quarter, then holding on through the second half.

Morgan Lyndon had 24 points and seven rebounds while Mattie Yukich produced a double-double with 10 points and 12 boards for Massey, who dropped to 3-3 with the loss.

The Western Bay Suns and Burger King Northside were in big-winning form in round four, both getting back-to-back wins to solidify their spots in the top-four.

The Suns (6-1) had too much for winless Tai Tokerau (0-7) in Kamo, taking both game of their double-header, winning 74-59 on Saturday behind 22 points and 14 rebounds from Canadian centre Mike King, and rolling to a 116-36 rout on Sunday, with Sasho Tasevski scoring 33 points and Ike Smith 29.

Northside were far too strong for the Taupo Volcanoes in Taupo on Saturday, streaking to a 114-60 win, getting 22 points from Corey Webster and 20 from Caleb Johns, before heading up the highway to upset the Waikato Pistons Development side 82-75 at the Waikato Uni Rec on Sunday, with Webster providing 31 points.

A day earlier in Hamilton, the defending CBL champion Waikato Titans, coached by Jeff Green, improved to 3-2 with a 95-61 win over Eastern Bays as three players scored 20-plus points – Danny Williams with 28, Robson Tavita with 21 points and 10 rebounds, and Kazlo Evans with 20 points and 10 rebounds.

Auckland, who went down to the Pistons on Saturday 78-74, kept Eastern Bays without a win on Sunday, Nikola Lakatus again recording a round-high with 37 points in the 96-60 blow-out at Farm Cove.

In the other game of the round, AUT University improved to 4-2, with a one-point 82-81 overtime win over Counties/Te Wananga, who moved back to 3-3.

Houston O’Riley scored a game-high 28 points for AUT, while despite having five players score in double figures – led by Jared Purcell with 17 – Counties could not recover after falling behind early in the extra period. Counties overcame a 14-point deficit after three periods and sent the game to overtime with a Reid Douglas three.

CBL Northern Conference Round Four

Saturday, May 24
AUT University 82 (Houston O’Riley 28) Counties/Te Wananga 81 (Jared Purcell 17)
Harbour Heat Reserves 78 (Michael Dawson 23) West Ballaz Massey 72 (Morgan Lyndon 24)
Waikato Pistons Development 78 (Jamie Barnett 17) Auckland 74 (Simon Mesritz 19)
Western Bay Suns 74 (Mike King 22) Tai Tokerau 59 (Travis McIlroy 17)
Northside 114 (Corey Webster 22) Taupo Volcanoes 60 (Michael Wells 14)
Waikato Titans 95 (Danny Williams 28) Eastern Bays 61 (Trent Ngaronoa 15)
Sunday, May 25
Northside 82 (Corey Webster 31) Waikato Pistons Development 75 (Jamie Barnett 21)
Western Bay Suns 116 (Sasho Tasevski 33) Tai Tokerau 36 (Hayden Rutene 11)
Auckland 96 (Nikola Lakatus 37) Eastern Bays 60 (Antonello Tolutau 14)