NBL Round 6: Sharks hand first defeat to Saints

NBL is at the halfway of the Regular Season and there are still another 6 rounds left. Here is the last round review presented by ESL.

The most crucial game of the last round was the first loss of Saints (8-1) in Southland on Friday night. Visitors were defeated by Sharks (9-3) 84-70. It ended at the same time the two-game winning streak of Saints. It was a key game for the top position in the league. Sharks forced 20 Saints turnovers. They looked well-organized offensively handing out 26 assists. The best player for the winners was Dominique Kelman-Poto (201-94, college: Adelphi) who had a double-double by scoring 17 points, 11 rebounds and 6 assists. American guard Courtney Belger (187-89, college: Quincy) chipped in 19 points and 7 assists. At the other side the best for losing team was American guard Kerwin Roach II (193-96, college: Texas) who recorded 17 points, 7 rebounds and 6 assists. Saints' coach Zico Coronel rotated ten players which allowed the starters a little rest for the next games. Sharks have an impressive seven-game winning streak. They maintain first position with 9-3 record. Saints at the other side keep the second place with one game lost. Sharks are looking forward to face Jets (#9) in Palmerston North in the next round and are hoping to win another game. Saints will play at home against Jets (#9) and are hoping to prove to their fans that the loss was just an accident.
An exciting game between Top Four teams was played in Dunedin. First ranked Sharks faced 4th ranked Nuggets. Guests from Southland (9-3) defeated host Nuggets (6-5) 85-78. It was a good game for Dominique Kelman-Poto (201-94, college: Adelphi) who led his team to a victory with 24 points and 6 rebounds. Brayden Inger contributed with 22 points and 5 rebounds for the winners. American guard Isaiah Moss (196-96, college: Kansas) replied with 25 points and 7 rebounds for Nuggets. Both coaches used bench players and allowed the starting five to rest. Sharks have an impressive seven-game winning streak. They maintain first position with 9-3 record. Defending champion Nuggets keep the fourth place with five games lost. Sharks will play against Jets (#9) in Palmerston North in the next round and are hoping to win another game. Nuggets will play on the road against Hawks (#3) in Tamatea and it may be a tough game between close rivals.
The game in Christchurch supposed to be also quite interesting. Second ranked Saints (8-1) played at the court of 7th ranked Rams (5-5). Saints smashed Rams 89-64 on Saturday. Kerwin Roach II scored 23 points and 5 rebounds to lead the charge for the winners. The best for the losing side was Quintin Bailey with 19 points and 9 rebounds. The winner was already known earlier in the game, so both coaches allowed to play the bench players saving starting five for next games. Saints maintains second position with 8-1 record behind leader Sharks. Loser Rams dropped to the fifth place with five games lost. Saints will meet at home Jets (#9) in the next round and are hoping to win another game. Rams will play against Mountain Airs (#10) in New Plymouth and hope to secure a win.
A very interesting game took place in Stoke. It ended with only one-point home defeat of 7th ranked Giants (5-6) to ninth ranked Jets (3-8) 99-98 on Thursday evening. Jayden Bezzant notched 30 points and 4 assists to lead the effort. Jets maintains ninth position with 3-8 record. Giants at the other side dropped to the sixth place with six games lost. Jets' next round opponent will be league's second-placed Saints in Wellington and they do not belong to the favorites in that game.
The game with biggest result difference took place in Pukekohe. Local Bulls (4-7) were outscored by third ranked Hawks (7-3) 110-73 on Friday night. The best player for the winners was Ethan Rusbatch who scored 27 points and 7 rebounds. Since the result was very predictable, it gave the chance for the coaches to test many bench players and allowed the starting five to get some rest. Hawks have a solid three-game winning streak. They maintain third position with 7-3 record having 2 victories less than leader Sharks. Bulls lost fifth consecutive game. They dropped to the eighth place with seven games lost. Hawks will face Nuggets (#4) in Dunedin in the next round. Bulls will play on the road against Huskies (#6) in Auckland and it may be a tough game between close rivals.

Rest of the games of round 6 were quite predictable and ended without any surprises. Here they are:
Huskies crushed Mountainairs in Auckland 106-84. Hawks beat Huskies at home 80-75. Bulls were destroyed by Jets on the opponent's court 118-86.
The best stats of 6th round was 34 points (!!!) and 13 rebounds by Shane Temara of Jets.

Giants - Jets 98-99

A very interesting game took place in Stoke. It ended with only one-point home defeat of 7th ranked Giants (5-6) to ninth ranked Jets (3-8) 99-98 on Thursday evening. Guard Jayden Bezzant (188-96, college: NW Nazarene) notched 30 points and 4 assists to lead the effort and American forward DeAndre Daniels (206-92, college: UConn) supported him with 21 points and 15 rebounds. Even a double-double of 27 points, 10 rebounds and 5 assists by American guard Hunter Hale (192-97, college: Winthrop) did not help to save the game for Giants. His fellow American import swingman Donte Ingram (199-96, college: Loyola, IL) added 26 points and 10 rebounds. Four Jets and five Giants players scored in double figures. Jets maintains ninth position with 3-8 record. Giants at the other side dropped to the sixth place with six games lost. Jets' next round opponent will be league's second-placed Saints in Wellington and they do not belong to the favorites in that game.
Top scorers:
Jets: J.Bezzant 30+4reb+4ast, D.Daniels 21+15reb, D.Knight 19+5reb+8ast, S.Temara 12+8reb+4ast, J.Mckinlay 8+4reb+2ast, N.McCullough 6+2reb
Giants: H.Hale 27+10reb+5ast, D.Ingram 26+10reb+3ast, T.Ingham 12+2ast, A.Rissetto 12+6reb+1ast, N.Trathen 11+4reb+1ast, M.Alexander 5

Mountainairs - Huskies 84-106

There was no surprise in New Plymouth where 10th ranked Mountain Airs (1-9) were crushed by fifth ranked Huskies (5-6) 106-84 on Friday. Huskies made 17-of-19 free shots (89.5 percent) during the game. They shot the lights out from three sinking 17 long-distance shots on high 56.7 percentage. Huskies looked well-organized offensively handing out 26 assists. The best player for the winners was American power forward Chris Johnson (210-85, college: LSU) who had a double-double by scoring 26 points, 11 rebounds and 5 assists. Guard Dontae Nance (190-5) chipped in 19 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists. At the other side the best for losing team was naturalized American forward Marcel Jones (203-85, college: Oregon St.) who recorded 20 points, 7 rebounds and 5 assists and guard Carlin Davison (196-3) added 16 points respectively. Five Huskies and four Mountain Airs players scored in double figures. Mountain Airs' coach gave up on the game allowing to play ten players seeing no chance for a win. Despite that victory Huskies went down to sixth position due to points difference, which they share with Giants. Mountain Airs lost sixth consecutive game. They stay at the bottom place with nine games lost. Huskies will face Bulls (#8) in Pukekohe in the next round. Mountain Airs will play at home against Rams and hope to win that game.
Top scorers:
Huskies: C.Johnson 26+11reb+5ast, T.Fahrensohn 19+3reb, N.Dontae 19+5reb+5ast, R.Zach 18+5ast, B.Ruscoe-Taiaroa 18+3reb+5ast, N.Barrow 6+5reb+5ast
Mountainairs: M.Jones 20+7reb+5ast, D.Carlin 16+4reb+2ast, H.Walker 14+4reb+3ast, M.Francis 12+2reb+4ast, D.Leusogi-Ape 9+1reb+3ast, T.Wynyard 8+2reb

Sharks - Saints 84-70

The most crucial game of the last round was the first loss of Saints (8-1) in Southland on Friday night. Visitors were defeated by Sharks (9-3) 84-70. It ended at the same time the two-game winning streak of Saints. It was a key game for the top position in the league. Sharks forced 20 Saints turnovers. They looked well-organized offensively handing out 26 assists. The best player for the winners was Dominique Kelman-Poto (201-94, college: Adelphi) who had a double-double by scoring 17 points, 11 rebounds and 6 assists. American guard Courtney Belger (187-89, college: Quincy) chipped in 19 points and 7 assists. Five Sharks players scored in double figures. At the other side the best for losing team was American guard Kerwin Roach II (193-96, college: Texas) who recorded 17 points, 7 rebounds and 6 assists and the former international swingman Dion Prewster (195-90, college: SF Austin, agency: BIG) added 11 points, 8 rebounds and 4 assists respectively. Saints' coach Zico Coronel rotated ten players which allowed the starters a little rest for the next games. Sharks have an impressive seven-game winning streak. They maintain first position with 9-3 record. Saints at the other side keep the second place with one game lost. Sharks are looking forward to face Jets (#9) in Palmerston North in the next round and are hoping to win another game. Saints will play at home against Jets (#9) and are hoping to prove to their fans that the loss was just an accident.
Top scorers:
Sharks: C.Belger 19+4reb+7ast, D.Kelman-Poto 17+11reb+6ast, A.Burton 15+1reb+5ast, B.Inger 14+2reb+3ast, J.Cunningham 13+9reb+1ast, T.Gillooly 3+1reb
Saints: K.Roach II 17+7reb+6ast, T.Samuel 13+2reb+3ast, D.Prewster 11+8reb+4ast, T.Kenneth 8+4reb, T.Smith-Milner 7+9reb+1ast, T.McLean 7+2reb

Bulls - Hawks 73-110

The game with biggest result difference took place in Pukekohe. Local Bulls (4-7) were outscored by third ranked Hawks (7-3) 110-73 on Friday night. Hawks dominated down low during the game scoring 46 of its points in the paint compared to Bulls' 24. They outrebounded Bulls 53-39 including a 42-30 advantage in defensive rebounds. Hawks looked well-organized offensively handing out 21 assists. The best player for the winners was international swingman Ethan Rusbatch (196-92, college: Lincoln Trail) who scored 27 points and 7 rebounds. International forward Jonathan Janssen (205-95, college: HPU) chipped in 18 points and 8 rebounds. Four Hawks players scored in double figures. At the other side the best for losing team was power forward Denhym Brooke (203-96, college: Hawaii-Hilo) who recorded 17 points and 8 rebounds and guard Joseph Nunag (183-97) added 9 points and 7 rebounds respectively. Since the result was very predictable, it gave the chance for the coaches to test many bench players and allowed the starting five to get some rest. Hawks have a solid three-game winning streak. They maintain third position with 7-3 record having 2 victories less than leader Sharks. Bulls lost fifth consecutive game. They dropped to the eighth place with seven games lost. Hawks will face Nuggets (#4) in Dunedin in the next round. Bulls will play on the road against Huskies (#6) in Auckland and it may be a tough game between close rivals.
Top scorers:
Hawks: E.Rusbatch 27+7reb+1ast, J.Janssen 18+8reb+1ast, J.Hunt 15+6reb, R.Vague 15+5reb+1ast, D.Raukawa 14+9reb+4ast, D.Walker 9+8reb+8ast
Bulls: D.Brooke 17+8reb+3ast, T.Jett 12+1reb+1ast, W.Dylan 11+2reb+1ast, Z.Easthope 9+5reb, N.Joseph 9+7reb+2ast, A.Dunstan 6+5reb

Nuggets - Sharks 78-85

An exciting game between Top Four teams was played in Dunedin. First ranked Sharks faced 4th ranked Nuggets. Guests from Southland (9-3) defeated host Nuggets (6-5) 85-78. It was a good game for Dominique Kelman-Poto (201-94, college: Adelphi) who led his team to a victory with 24 points and 6 rebounds. Forward Brayden Inger (203-99) contributed with 22 points and 5 rebounds for the winners. American guard Isaiah Moss (196-96, college: Kansas) replied with 25 points and 7 rebounds and the former international power forward Samuel Timmins (211-97, college: Washington) added 13 points and 16 rebounds in the effort for Nuggets. Four Nuggets players scored in double figures. Both coaches used bench players and allowed the starting five to rest. Sharks have an impressive seven-game winning streak. They maintain first position with 9-3 record. Defending champion Nuggets keep the fourth place with five games lost. Sharks will play against Jets (#9) in Palmerston North in the next round and are hoping to win another game. Nuggets will play on the road against Hawks (#3) in Tamatea and it may be a tough game between close rivals.
Top scorers:
Sharks: D.Kelman-Poto 24+6reb+1ast, B.Inger 22+5reb+1ast, T.Gillooly 17+4reb+1ast, C.Belger 7+1reb+3ast, J.Cunningham 6+13reb+5ast, L.McRae 4+2reb
Nuggets: I.Moss 25+7reb+1ast, R.Rodger 13+1reb, S.Timmins 13+16reb+3ast, G.McKay 11+4reb+1ast, M.Pafe 8+1reb+3ast, M.Akiva 6+1reb

Rams - Saints 64-89

The game in Christchurch supposed to be also quite interesting. Second ranked Saints (8-1) played at the court of 7th ranked Rams (5-5). Saints smashed Rams 89-64 on Saturday. Great defensive blocking was one of the keys in this match when Saints made 8 blocks. American guard Kerwin Roach II (193-96, college: Texas) scored 23 points and 5 rebounds to lead the charge for the winners and the former international swingman Dion Prewster (195-90, college: SF Austin, agency: BIG) chipped in 22 points and 6 rebounds (went 7 for 7 at the free throw line) during the contest. The best for the losing side was forward Quintin Bailey (201-97, college: John Brown) with 19 points and 9 rebounds and American guard Deshon Taylor (188-96, college: Fresno St.) scored 12 points, 6 assists and 4 steals. Four Rams players scored in double figures. The winner was already known earlier in the game, so both coaches allowed to play the bench players saving starting five for next games. Saints maintains second position with 8-1 record behind leader Sharks. Loser Rams dropped to the fifth place with five games lost. Saints will meet at home Jets (#9) in the next round and are hoping to win another game. Rams will play against Mountain Airs (#10) in New Plymouth and hope to secure a win.
Top scorers:
Saints: K.Roach II 23+5reb+3ast, D.Prewster 22+6reb+2ast, T.Samuel 16+7reb+4ast, T.Smith-Milner 9+5reb+8ast, T.McLean 6+3reb, R.Gill 5+4reb
Rams: Q.Bailey 19+9reb+2ast, D.Taylor 12+2reb+6ast, E.Singler 12+4reb+2ast, A.Talma 11+6reb+2ast, S.Smith 4+3reb+1ast, B.Constable 3+7reb

Hawks - Huskies 80-75

No shocking result in a game in Tamatea where third ranked Hawks (7-3) defeated 5th ranked Huskies (5-6) 80-75 on Sunday. The best player for the winners was American guard Devondrick Walker (196-92, college: A&M-Commerce) who scored 25 points, 8 rebounds and 4 assists. International swingman Ethan Rusbatch (196-92, college: Lincoln Trail) chipped in 14 points. At the other side the best for losing team was American power forward Chris Johnson (210-85, college: LSU) who recorded 20 points and 9 rebounds and guard Dontae Nance (190-5) added 20 points and 4 assists respectively. Huskies' coach Aaron Young tested ten players in this game, but that didn't help. Hawks have a solid three-game winning streak. They maintain third position with 7-3 record having 2 victories less than leader Sharks. Loser Huskies dropped to the sixth place with six games lost. Hawks will face Nuggets (#4) in Dunedin in the next round. Huskies will play at home against Bulls and it may be a tough game between close rivals.
Top scorers:
Hawks: D.Walker 25+8reb+4ast, E.Rusbatch 14+1reb+1ast, D.Raukawa 8+4reb+4ast, H.Harris 8+2reb+2ast, R.Vague 7+7reb, E.Bartlett 6+1ast
Huskies: C.Johnson 20+9reb+3ast, N.Dontae 20+4reb+4ast, R.Zach 15+8reb+1ast, T.Fahrensohn 7+5reb, B.Ruscoe-Taiaroa 5+1reb+2ast, M.Chris 3

Jets - Bulls 118-86

There was a minor upset in Palmerston North where their close opponent Bulls (4-7) were rolled over by ninth ranked Jets (3-8) 118-86 on Sunday. Jets dominated down low during the game scoring 48 of its points in the paint compared to Bulls' 24. They outrebounded Bulls 53-40 including 40 on the defensive glass. Jets looked well-organized offensively handing out 28 assists. The best player for the winners was naturalized American power forward Shane Temara (205-95, college: N.Texas) who had a double-double by scoring 34 points (!!!) and 13 rebounds. American guard Daishon Knight (185-91, college: Illinois St.) chipped in a double-double by scoring 16 points, 9 rebounds and 10 assists. At the other side the best for losing team was Australian forward Kyrin Galloway (203-99, college: UNCG) who recorded a double-double by scoring 22 points, 14 rebounds and 4 assists and power forward Denhym Brooke (203-96, college: Hawaii-Hilo) added 23 points and 5 rebounds respectively. Both teams had four players each who scored in double figures. Since the result was very predictable, it gave the chance for the coaches to test many bench players and allowed the starting five to get some rest. Jets maintains ninth position with 3-8 record. Bulls lost fifth consecutive game. They dropped to the eighth place with seven games lost. Jets will face league's second-placed Saints in Wellington in the next round and they do not belong to the favorites in that game.
Top scorers:
Jets: S.Temara 34+13reb+3ast, D.Daniels 22+5reb+2ast, N.McCullough 17+1reb+4ast, D.Knight 16+9reb+10ast, J.Bezzant 13+3reb+6ast, J.Mckinlay 7+13reb+2ast
Bulls: D.Brooke 23+5reb+1ast, K.Galloway 22+14reb+4ast, N.Fee 14+4reb+8ast, J.Gerrand 11+1reb, T.Jett 7+2reb, A.Dunstan 6+7reb



Tags : DOMINIQUE KELMAN-POTO, SIT ZERO FEES SOUTHLAND SHARKS, NEW ZEALAND BASKETBALL