Basketball New Zealand

Former Tall Black Miles Pearce could not stop the losing funk for the Mackay Meteors in Queensland (Photosport)

Emerging Tall Blacks guard Zane Meehl and former Tall Blacks forward Miles Pearce could not prevent the Mackay Meteors falling to their fourth loss in five games in the Queensland Australia Basketball League (QABL) last week.

Meehl had 22 points (7/8 FG, 3/4 3pt, 5/5 FT), six rebounds and four assists in 48 minutes of the Leonard King-coach Meteors 101-83 home loss to the third-placed Rockhampton Rockets in round nine of the QABL.

Pearce, coming off a Dominion Finance NBL season with the Manawatu Jets, posted 19 points (8/14 FG, 1/2 3pt, 2/5 FT), 10 rebounds, two assists and a block in 46 minutes in his first game for Mackay.

The Meteors fell back 5-5 and 10th in the QABL, needing immediate wins to restore their top-four hopes.

Elsewhere in the QABL, former Nelson Giants forward Rowan Gray had 18 points (9/12 FG, 0/2 FT), six rebounds, two blocks and an assist in 29 minutes in the defending ABA champion Cairns Marlins’ 133-97 win over the Logan Thunder in tropical North Queensland; and Zeke Meehl had two points (1/8 FG, 0/5 3pt) in 18 minutes of the Maroochydore Clippers’ 106-81 loss to the second-placed Northside Wizards, the Clips ninth straight loss.

Shannon Proffit posted 17 points (5/10 FG, 3/6 3pt, 4/6 FT), eight rebounds, three assists and a steal in 31 minutes as the Lady Clippers improved to 7-2 and third with a 80-50 win over the Northside Wizards.

Tall Ferns guard Angela Marino dropped 18 points (5/10 FG, 3/5 3pt, 5/8 FT), three rebounds, an assist and steal in 24 minutes of her Sturt Sabres 54-48 win over the West Adelaide Bearcats in round 12 of the Central ABL, moving the Sabres to third at 8-4.

In the South East Australia Basketball League (SEABL), Gemma Kerr’s Kilsyth Cobras completed a two-game Tasmania sweep at the weekend, defeating the Launceston Tornadoes 93-84 and the NW Tasmania Thunder 87-75, improving to 11-6 and fourth after round 15.

Kerr had 12 points (5/10 FG, 1/3 3pt, 1/2 FT), three rebounds and three assists in 24 minutes against the Tornadoes and nine points (3/9 FG, 1/4 3pt, 2/2 FT), five rebounds, an assist and steal in 21 minutes versus the Thunder.

Former Tall Fern Jess Spinner and her Wanneroo Wolves split their round 12 State Basketball League double-header in Western Australia.

Spinner posted 11 points (2/7 FG, 0/1 3pt, 7/7 FT), seven rebounds and a steal in 18 minutes in a 86-54 loss to the Perry Lakes Hawks and 11 points (2/3 FG, 2/3 3pt, 5/6 FT), two rebounds and a steal in 16 minutes in a 71-53 win over the Perth Redbacks, moving the Wolves into the top-eight at 7-8.