Polyblank In Need Of Miracle
Tagged in: Junior Tall Blacks, Kiwis Abroad, Tall Blacks
Former Tall Blacks forward Brendon Polyblank may require a miracle for his European season to go deep into April.
Polyblank and his Lausanne Basket club limped into the Swiss LNA playoffs, losing three straight games and four of their last five to claim the last postseason berth and set up a best-of-five quarterfinal series, starting Thursday (NZ time), against top-ranked SAV Vacallo.
The Wellington Saint had 16 points (2/8 FG, 2/6 3pt, 6/6 FT), three boards, two assists, two steals and a block in 40 minutes as Lausanne finished the regular season with a 95-87 road loss to SAM Basket Massagno on Saturday, ending eighth at 9-12.
Vacallo, who finished nine games ahead of Polyblank’s side, defeated Lausanne twice during the regular season, the most recent coming on the road on March 14, 65-59. Game two is scheduled for Sunday (NZ time), with game three another seven days later.
Already in the playoffs, Tall Blacks coach Nenad Vucinic saw his BC Kalev/Cramo said fall 76-70 to Estonian rivals TU/Rock in game one of their best-of-three Baltic Basketball League quarterfinal series on Wednesday. Kalev will need to beat Rock at home in game two on Saturday to stave off elimination.
There was good news for Vucinic and Kalev last week, with an 84-64 home win over TTU-KK in the Estonian KML, lifting them to second at 16-4, still behind unbeaten Rock.
In Germany, Harbour Heat forward BJ Anthony amassed 15 points (6/9 FG, 3/7 FT), eight rebounds, two steals, an assist and a block in 25 minutes in Herzoge Wolfenbuttel’s 103-77 demolition of Medien Baskets Braunschweig on the road in round 25 of the Bundesliga D2-Pro B on Sunday. The win improved Wolfenbuttel to 19-6, currently second.
Former Tall Blacks point guard Mark Dickel produced one of his better games with his new Greek club, AS Trikalla, finishing with 10 points (3/6 FG, 2/2 3pt, 2/2 FT), five assists and two rebounds in 28 minutes but could not prevent the A1 League strugglers falling 81-73 to CC Marousi in round 22.
In Romania, Emerging Tall Black Leon Henry compiled no points (0/1 FG) and a rebound in six minutes for Tab Baldwin’s U Mobitelco Cluj-Napoca’s 83-76 road win over BC Arges Pitesti on Saturday in round 22 of the Divizia A. Henry recorded a DNP in an 80-79 home loss to BCM ELBA Timisoara during the week, moving to third at 18-8.
In the USA, the NAIA-D1 national championship hopes of Emerging Tall Blacks Zane Meehl and Mada Abdelhamid were over quickly in Kansas City, Missouri last week.
Meehl went point-less (0/1 FG) with two rebounds in a minute of play in Azusa Pacific’s 78-72 loss to Mid America Nazarene in the first round on Thursday, ending the Cougars season at 24-10.
Abdelhamid had no points (0/1 FG) in three minutes as Cumberland University fell 72-62 to Auburn-Montgomery in the first round on Wednesday, ending the Bulldogs year at 25-6.
In Australia, Junior Tall Blacks hopeful Te Puao Silver scored two points (1/5 FG, 0/1 3pt) with three boards, two steals and an assist in 10 minutes in Melbourne’s massive 117-55 road win over Latrobe City in round one of the Big V Youth League on Saturday.
