Basketball New Zealand

Round 12 of the NZCT National Basketball League wrapped up with three games this evening. Appliance Shed Harbour Heat beat the 0800 Easy LPG Hawks 83-73 at the NSEC on Auckland North Shore, Waikato Pistons beat the ecogise Nelson Giants 76-73 at the Trafalgar Centre and the Bartercard Christchurch Cougars dismissed the McDonalds Manawatu Jets 84-58 at Cowles Stadium.

In Nelson, the Waikato Pistons rebounded from a heavy defeat to the Century City Saints on Friday night to beat the ecogise Nelson Giants The Pistons remain in second position on the table thanks to the Giants having the split in the series with the Pistons after beating them by seven in Hamilton back in Round 4.

In a tight tussle the lead changed hands nine times and the scores were tied seven times in the first two and half quarters before a Pero Cameron three pointer with 5:36 to play in the third gave the Pistons the lead which would remain theirs for the rest of the game. The Pistons lead was seven (62-55) going into the fourth quarter but the Giants kept it close throughout the fourth to be within striking distance down the stretch. The Giants got to with in two with 2 minutes to play only for Pero Cameron to nail a three with just on a minute to play. With time running out the Pistons lead was three and Jarryd Lloyd had a three point attempt that did not hit the mark.

Lloyd lead all scorers with 22. Tony Rampton had another double double with 16 points and 10 rebounds while Phil Jones had 15 in 40 minutes of court time. Justin Bailey lead all scorers for the Pistons with 18, closely followed by Pero Cameron with 17. Adam Ballinger took the only other double double of the game with 11 points and 10 rebounds.

On the North Shore, Appliance Shed Harbour Heat proved too strong for a gallant 0800 Easy LPG Bay Hawks in the NZ Community Trust National Basketball League at the North Shore Events Centre tonight, winning 83-73. The game started with Tony Webster’s side in neutral as the visitors showed plenty of energy with an unanswered ten point run to get the game underway. But a time out and strong words from Coach Webster saw the Heat turn the tables with a run of their own, outscoring the Hawkes 19-2 over the next few minutes to lead by 3 at the first quarter break.
With Corey Webster starting to find his range and Mike Bell dominating the boards the Heat never looked in trouble, extending the lead to 6 at the break with the Heat rotating their bench on a regular basis with most players getting plenty of minutes ahead of the play-offs.
Both teams fell away in the second half with the Heat shooting at 34%, but the Hawks were worse at just 27% as both sides struggled to find the hoop with any consistency.
Mychal Green was his usual energetic self, scoring 16 points with 8 boards and a game high 5 steals to emphasise his value to the winners. Corey Webster led all scorers with 27 while Mike Bell collected 11 boards (9 defensive) and 3 blocked shots.

The Christchurch the Batercard Cougars cruised passed the Jets to take a 26 point, 84-58 win. Poara Winitana and Trenton Wurtz had big games for the Cougars. Winitana taking a 19 point, 10 rebound double double with Wurtz being just as productive taking 17 points and 13 boards. Jamil Terrell top scored for the Jets with 18, while Marcel Jones logged a 14 point, 10 rebound double double.

Round 12 results leave the Stars, Jets and Dynamos eliminated. Round 13 and 14 of the NZCT National Basketball League will determine the final placings of the top six with a host of huge games to be played.

Saturday, May 30

At Traflagar Centre, Nelson

ecogise Nelson Giants 73 (Jarryd Loyd 22, Tony Rampton 16, Phil Jones 15) Waikato Pistons 76 (Justin Bailey 18, Pero Cameron 17, Thomas Abercrombie 15 ) , Final

Referees - Alan Godden, James Campion, Scott Harris
1Q: 17-17
HT: 37-40 (20-23)
3Q: 55-62 (18-22)
FT: 73-76 (18-14)

Giants v Pistons Boxscore (html 22KB)

At North Shore Event Centre

Appliance Shed Harbour Heat 83 (Corey Webster 27, Mychal Green 16, Daniel Munday 11) v 0800 Easy LPG Bay Hawks 73 (Mark Morrison 19, Charles Bailey 19, Ben Hill 13), Final

Referees - Dallas Pickering, Kieran Udy, Bo Wills-Choat
1Q: 26-23
HT: 44-38 (18-15)
3Q: 58-52 (14-14)
FT: 83-73 (25-21)

Heat v Hawks Boxscore (html 22KB)

At Cowles Stadium, Christchurch

Bartercard Christchurch Cougars 84 (Paora Winitana 19, Gerard Bowden 18, Trenton Wurtz 17) McDonalds Manawatu Jets 58 (Jamil Terrell 18, Marcel 14, Aidan Daly 10), Final

Referees - Gavin Zimmerman, Hayden Pipe, Cherryl Forde
1Q: 23-14
HT: 38-26 (15-12)
3Q: 61-37 (23-11)
FT: 84-58 (23-21)

Cougars v Jets Boxscore (html 22KB)