Basketball New Zealand

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Wellington Saints guard Troy McLean (Photosport)

The sigh of relief in the capital was palpable, but it was drowned out by alarm bells ringing throughout the Dominion Finance NBL Ö the race for semifinal spots just got really serious.

With a month left in the regular season, Century City Wellington Saintsí 86-69 win over league leaders Appliance Shed Harbour Heat kept their own playoff chances alive, and narrowed the gap between home advantage and home alone to just 1.5 games.

ìWe needed to beat a high calibre team like this,î observed Saints coach Kevin Brooks. ìAnd we beat them the right way.

ìMentally and psychologically, it was very good for us Ö we really needed that.î

The other five teams with realistic semi aspirations, however, needed it like a hole in the head, for it also suggested the talent-laden Wellington outfit may have discovered their potential in the nick of time.

Trailing for just a few seconds of the opening quarter, they did what they have so often failed to do on the way to their current 8-5 record, closing out the game with an 11 unanswered points in the fourth quarter.

Imports Bakari Hendrix and Nick Horvath easily won the low post battle against Harbour counterparts Tim Behrendorff and Oscar Forman, while veteran guards Terrence Lewis and Troy McLean produced possibly their best performances of the rollercoaster season.

Hendrix chose an ideal occasion to dominate, recording a ìdouble doubleî by halftime and finishing with 21 points/17 rebounds in the presence of NZ Breakers coach Andrej Lemanis, who is still pondering his foreign allocation for next summer.

ìI think the big fella went well,î confirmed Brooks, himself an assistant coach with the Adelaide 36ers. ìHeís definitely an NBL-calibre player in Australia and there are a few teams looking at him.

ìBut this was a better game for both him and Horvath. Weíve had games where one or the other has gone well, but weíve been trying to get both clicking at the same time.î

While other teams have enjoyed success forcing Harbour to shoot over their zone, Brooks considered Saints matched up well man for man and confounded the visitors with his switching defence. Heat co-captains Brent Charleton and Hayden Allen were held to a combined nine points (3/16 FG, 0/3 3pt).

Allen, the Heatís form performer, was plagued by foul trouble, limited to just 16 minutes, and his implosion midway through the fourth term signaled the final straw for his team. Point guard George Leafa had just hit a trey to put Saints up by 10 when Allen incurred a needless technical foul that robbed Harbour of a fastbreak opportunity, gifting McLean two free throws and Horvath two more on the subsequent possession.

Seconds later, Allen picked up his fifth foul and an early exit.
ìIt was a crucial game, but not a surprise for us,î said Brooks. ìWe feel we have the talent and the ability to match up with anyone in the league Ö itís a matter of working as hard mentally as we have physically.î

Harbour (9-3) finally snatched the competition lead with a road win over Blue Chip Nelson Giants on Saturday and retain that lofty position despite this setback. They still have the least losses in the league, but their remaining schedule is the toughest among the six contenders.

Saints, on the other hand, have thrust themselves back into the reckoning, with one of the softest itineraries on offer.

ìI donít want the guys to be too concerned about it,î said Brooks. ìWeíve put the record of every team up on the board, weíve looked at the schedule Ö everyone knows exactly where we are.

ìIf we keep winning, itís going to be all gravy.î

Down The Stretch

Opponentsí records corrected to home or away as appropriate.

Dominion Finance NBL (Round 11)
Thursday, May 17
Christchurch
Scenic Circle Canterbury Rams 91 (Mychal Green 19, Michael Joiner 19, Joel Hart 18, Jeremy Kench 14) Inspire Net Manawatu Jets 71 (Brandon Payton 20, Reece Cassidy 13, George Byrd 13, Stacey Lambert 11)
Quarter 10-17
Halftime 33-35 (23-18)
Threequarter 63-50 (30-15)
Fulltime 91-71 (28-21)

Dunedin
Easy LPG Bay Hawks 103 (Aidan Daly 24, Kareem Johnson 21, Paora Winitana 13, Paul Henare 12, Everard Bartlett 11, Andrew Rice 10) Cartridge City Otago Nuggets 86 (Shaun Tilby 23, Miles Pearce 18, Justin Bailey 15, Branduinn Fullove 15)
Quarter 25-20
Halftime 45-45 (20-25)
Threequarter 72-73 (27-28)
Fulltime 103-86 (31-13)

Saturday, May 19
Nelson
Appliance Shed Harbour Heat 87 (Oscar Forman 27, Hayden Allen 25, Nat Connell 13) Blue Chip Nelson Giants 78 (Josh Pace 19, Michael Fitchett 17, Ed Book 16)
Quarter 24-20
Halftime 46-45 (22-25)
Threequarter 67-58 (21-13)
Fulltime 87-78 (20-20)

Hamilton
U Park It Waikato Pistons 83 (Jason Crowe 21, Pero Cameron 14, Luke Martin 14, Kevin Smith 14) Youthtown Auckland Stars 71 (Casey Frank 22, Lindsay Tait 13, Dillon Boucher 12)
Quarter 16-13
Halftime 39-31 (23-18)
Threequarter 58-53 (17-22)
Fulltime 83-71 (25-18)

Dunedin
Cartridge World Otago Nuggets 82 (Branduinn Fullove 27, Justin Bailey 15, Miles Pearce 14, Darryl Jones 13) Inspire Net Manawatu Jets 76 (Brandon Payton 28, Reece Cassidy 24, Aaron Nowell 13)
Quarter 25-20
Halftime 38-43 (13-23)
Threequarter 61-60 (23-17)
Fulltime 82-76 (21-16)

Sunday, May 20
Wellington
Century City Wellington Saints 86 (Bakari Hendrix 21, Nick Horvath 18, Troy McLean 18, Terrence Lewis 13) Appliance Shed Harbour Heat 69 (Tim Behrendorff 18, Oscar Forman 15, Daryl Cartwright 13)
Quarter 24-20
Halftime 46-40 (22-20)
Threequarter 58-54 (12-14)
Fulltime 86-69 (28-15)