Horvath Breathing Fire
Tagged in: Kiwis Abroad
With the season tip-off still three weeks away, Kiwis have already started making an impact for their Australian National Basketball League clubs in pre-season.
Tall Blacks centre Nick Horvath had 16 points (4/11 FG, 8/10 FT), seven rebounds and three assists in 42 minutes, while international team-mate Mika Vukona posted five points (2/6 FG, 1/3 3pt, 0/2 FT), seven rebounds, four assists, three steals and a block in 30 minutes as the South Dragons improved to 4-0 in pre-season with a 114-103 win over the Perth Wildcats on Wednesday in Melbourne.
It follows on from two prior wins over the Wildcats and one against the defending ANBL champion Melbourne Tigers.
Horvath had a game-high 31 points (13/20 FG, 5/6 FT) and 13 rebounds in South’s 113-99 win over the Tigers last week, then backed it up with 16 points (7/13 FG, 0/1 3pt, 2/2 FT), 10 rebounds, two blocks, an assist and steal in 33 minutes in a 107-86 win over Perth on Sunday.
Vukona had 18 points (8/10 FG, 1/1 3pt, 1/3 FT), 11 rebounds, an assist, block and steal in 30 minutes in that game, following it with a perfect shooting night with 11 points (4/4 FG, 1/1 3pt, 2/2 FT), seven rebounds, three assists and a block in 30 minutes in the Dragons 100-74 win over the Wildcats on Tuesday.
Tall Blacks guard Paora Winitana made an immediate impact with his new club, going for 25 points (3/5 3pt) and nine rebounds as his Adelaide 36ers fell 96-92 to the Tigers on Wednesday.
New Zealand point guard Lindsay Tait scored 14 points and added eight rebounds and six assists as his Wollongong Hawks lost the rebounding battle and the game 111-105 to the renamed Sydney Spirit last weekend.
Tall Blacks captain Pero Cameron managed five points (0/4 FG, 0/1 3pt, 5/6 FT), five rebounds, five assists and a block in 17 minutes while former international Casey Frank had seven points (3/4 FG, 1/2 FT), five rebounds and a steal in 21 minutes for the Gold Coast Blaze, who went down 115-107 to the Purdue Boilermakers, a touring American college team.
Former Tall Fern Jess Spinner scored eight points (3/7 FG, 0/3 3pt, 2/2 FT), four rebounds, an assist and block in 27 minutes but her Wanneroo Wolves were eliminated by the top-seeded Willetton Tigers 86-52 in game two of their best-of-three State Basketball League (SBL) quarterfinal series in Western Australia.
Still alive in the ABA club championship quarters are former Tall Fern Adrianne Gilbert with the Bankstown Bruins, who face the Townsville Flames, top qualifiers out of Queensland, and Kiwi Gemma Kerr with the SEABL champion Kilsyth Cobras, who meet the Central’s North Adelaide Rockets on Saturday.
