NBL Round 7: Huskies lose to Airs

Here is the last round review presented by Job Market.

Top ranked Huskies (7-3) recorded its third loss in New Plymouth on Friday night. Visitors were edged by Airs (0-0) 88-86. American swingman Anthony Hilliard (195-1986, college: ECSU) fired 34 points (!!!) and 9 rebounds for the winners. His fellow American import forward Javonte Douglas (203-1992, college: Montevallo) chipped in 16 points, 17 rebounds and 8 assists. The former international forward Robert Loe (211-91, college: St.Louis) produced a double-double by scoring 19 points and 11 rebounds for lost side. Airs maintains th place with 0-0 record. Huskies at the other side still keep top position with three games lost. Airs are looking forward to face league's second-placed Hawks in Tamatea in the next round and it will be for sure the game of the week. Huskies will play at home against Nuggets and are hoping to prove to their supporters that this time they can win.
Important game to mention about took place in Palmerston North. Tenth ranked Jets (2-6) saved a 1-point victory at home edging leader Huskies (7-3) 92-91 on Sunday evening. It was quite big embarassment for the guest team. Worth to mention a great performance of American-Jordanian forward Zane Najdawi (201-1996, college: Citadel) who helped to win the game recording 31 points and 8 rebounds. John Bohannon contributed with 9 points, 16 rebounds and 11 assists for the winners. American power forward Chris Johnson (210-85, college: LSU) answered with a double-double by scoring 27 points and 12 rebounds for Huskies. Jets moved-up to ninth place. Huskies at the other side still keep top position with three games lost. Jets will play against bottom-ranked Sharks (#10) in Southland in the next round. Huskies will play at home against Nuggets (#5) and hope to get back on the winning track.
Very important is a home loss of third ranked Giants (5-3) against seventh ranked Bulls (4-4) on Saturday night. Host Giants were defeated by Bulls in a tough game in Stoke 69-77. It ended at the same time the two-game winning streak of Giants. It was a great evening for Corey Webster who led his team to a victory scoring 31 points, 7 rebounds and 7 assists (made all of his nine free throws !!!). At the losing side Sam Dempster responded with a double-double by scoring 13 points and 11 rebounds. Bulls moved-up to sixth place, which they share with Mountainairs. Loser Giants keep the third position with three games lost. Bulls will meet at home Saints (#8) in the next round. Giants will play against Saints (#8) and hope to secure a win.

Other games of round 7 were quite predictable and ended without any surprises. Here they are:
Sharks were defeated by Hawks in Tamatea 107-92. Saints beat Sharks at home 96-86. Bulls destroyed Rams on the opponent's court 88-67.
The best stats of 7th round was 20 points, 18 rebounds, 5 assists and 5 blocks by Leon Henry of Bulls.

Hawks - Sharks 107-92

There was no surprise in Tamatea where 9th ranked Sharks (2-7) were defeated by third ranked Hawks (6-3) 107-92 on Thursday. Hawks outrebounded Sharks 43-31 including 33 on the defensive glass. They looked well-organized offensively handing out 26 assists. It was a great evening for the former international forward Jordan Hunt (205-1997, college: S.Oregon) who led his team to a victory scoring 32 points and 6 rebounds. The former international forward Hyrum Harris (198-1996, college: Umpqua CC) helped adding 19 points, 8 rebounds and 6 assists. Five Hawks players scored in double figures. At the losing side naturalized American guard Mojave King (196-2) responded with 29 points, 5 rebounds and 4 assists and American forward Winston Shepard (203-1993, college: SDSU, agency: Slash Sports) produced a double-double by scoring 18 points, 13 rebounds, 4 assists and 4 steals. Both coaches used bench players which allowed the starters a little rest for the next games. Hawks moved-up to second place. Sharks lost sixth consecutive game. They dropped to the bottom position with seven games lost. Hawks will meet at home higher ranked Airs in the next round. Sharks will play against Jets (#9) and it may be a tough game between close rivals.
Top scorers:
Sharks: K.Mojave 29+5reb+4ast, D.Kelman-Poto 24+5reb+5ast, W.Shepard 18+13reb+4ast, D.Leusogi-Ape 9+1reb+3ast, A.Burton 7+1reb+1ast, R.Gill 3+4reb
Hawks: J.Hunt 32+6reb+2ast, E.Rusbatch 19+7reb+2ast, H.Harris 19+8reb+6ast, T.Agee 13+11reb+3ast, D.Raukawa 11+4reb+4ast, J.Kenny 8+2reb+8ast

Airs - Tuatara 88-86

Top ranked Huskies (7-3) recorded its third loss in New Plymouth on Friday night. Visitors were edged by Airs (0-0) 88-86. American swingman Anthony Hilliard (195-1986, college: ECSU) fired 34 points (!!!) and 9 rebounds for the winners. His fellow American import forward Javonte Douglas (203-1992, college: Montevallo) chipped in a double-double by scoring 16 points, 17 rebounds and 8 assists. The former international forward Robert Loe (211-91, college: St.Louis) produced a double-double by scoring 19 points and 11 rebounds and the former international guard Takiula Fahrensohn (201-99, college: Portland, agency: Haylett Sports) added 20 points respectively for lost side. Four Huskies players scored in double figures. Airs maintains th place with 0-0 record. Huskies at the other side still keep top position with three games lost. Airs are looking forward to face league's second-placed Hawks in Tamatea in the next round and it will be for sure the game of the week. Huskies will play at home against Nuggets and are hoping to prove to their supporters that this time they can win.
Top scorers:
Tuatara: T.Fahrensohn 20+3reb+3ast, N.Dontae 19+3ast, R.Loe 19+11reb+3ast, C.Johnson 10+13reb+2ast, S.Schneider 8+2reb+8ast, I.Braydon 5
Airs: A.Hilliard 34+9reb+2ast, J.Douglas 16+17reb+8ast, T.Scott 10+3reb+1ast, T.Wynyard 9+4reb+1ast, M.Jones 9+6reb, D.Carlin 8+2reb+2ast

Giants - Bulls 69-77

Very important is a home loss of third ranked Giants (5-3) against seventh ranked Bulls (4-4) on Saturday night. Host Giants were defeated by Bulls in a tough game in Stoke 69-77. It ended at the same time the two-game winning streak of Giants. It was a great evening for the former international guard Corey Webster (188-88, college: Lambuth) who led his team to a victory scoring 31 points, 7 rebounds and 7 assists (made all of his nine free throws !!!). The former international guard Jayden Bezzant (188-96, college: NW Nazarene) helped adding 15 points and 6 rebounds. At the losing side swingman Sam Dempster (194-1990) responded with a double-double by scoring 13 points and 11 rebounds and American point guard Jarrod West (182-99, college: Louisville) scored 13 points and 5 assists. Five Giants players scored in double figures. Bulls moved-up to sixth place, which they share with Mountainairs. Loser Giants keep the third position with three games lost. Bulls will meet at home Saints (#8) in the next round. Giants will play against Saints (#8) and hope to secure a win.
Top scorers:
Giants: S.Thompson 14+2reb, J.West 13+4reb+5ast, S.Dempster 13+11reb+1ast, N.Trathen 12+6reb+1ast, T.Mourning 10+6reb+4ast, M.Alexander 6+3reb+2ast
Bulls: C.Webster 31+7reb+7ast, J.Bezzant 15+6reb+1ast, D.Brooke 10+4reb+1ast, A.Rissetto 6, I.Davidson 6+4reb+1ast, L.Joshua 3

Saints - Sharks 96-86

The game between closely ranked teams ended with eighth ranked Saints' (3-5) home victory over bottom-ranked Sharks (2-7) 96-86 on Saturday. It was a great evening for Australian forward Xavier Cooks (203-1995, college: Winthrop) who led his team to a victory with a double-double by scoring 24 points and 24 rebounds. American point guard Mike Smith (180-1997, college: Michigan) helped adding 30 points and 5 assists. At the losing side point guard Jaylen Gerrand (183-96, college: Umpqua CC) responded with 28 points and 4 assists and forward Dominique Kelman-Poto (201-1994, college: Adelphi) produced a double-double by scoring 12 points, 13 rebounds and 5 assists. Both teams had four players each who scored in double figures. Sharks' coach rotated ten players in this game, but that didn't help. Defending champion maintains eighth place with 3-5 record. Sharks lost sixth consecutive game. They dropped to the bottom position with seven games lost. Saints will meet higher ranked Bulls (#6) in the next round and it will be quite challenging to get another victory. Sharks will play against Jets (#9) and it may be a tough game between close rivals.
Top scorers:
Sharks: J.Gerrand 28+3reb+4ast, D.Leusogi-Ape 14+5reb+3ast, D.Kelman-Poto 12+13reb+5ast, W.Shepard 11+13reb+1ast, B.Inger 8+5reb+1ast, A.Burton 8+1reb
Saints: M.Smith 30+4reb+5ast, X.Cooks 24+24reb+1ast, T.Samuel 16+1reb+1ast, T.Vodanovich 14+17reb+1ast, J.Ngatai 9+5reb+1ast, T.Kenneth 3+1reb

Jets - Tuatara 92-91

Important game to mention about took place in Palmerston North. Tenth ranked Jets (2-6) saved a 1-point victory at home edging leader Huskies (7-3) 92-91 on Sunday evening. It was quite big embarassment for the guest team. Jets players were unselfish on offense dishing 26 assists. Worth to mention a great performance of American-Jordanian forward Zane Najdawi (201-1996, college: Citadel) who helped to win the game recording 31 points and 8 rebounds. Jordanian-American center John Bohannon (211-1991, college: UTEP) contributed with 9 points, 16 rebounds and 11 assists for the winners. American power forward Chris Johnson (210-85, college: LSU) answered with a double-double by scoring 27 points and 12 rebounds and the former international forward Robert Loe (211-91, college: St.Louis) added 24 points, 7 rebounds and 5 assists in the effort for Huskies. Jets moved-up to ninth place. Huskies at the other side still keep top position with three games lost. Jets will play against bottom-ranked Sharks (#10) in Southland in the next round. Huskies will play at home against Nuggets (#5) and hope to get back on the winning track.
Top scorers:
Tuatara: C.Johnson 27+12reb+3ast, R.Loe 24+7reb+5ast, I.Braydon 14+1reb+5ast, S.Schneider 9+2reb+3ast, M.Chris 6+2reb+1ast, T.Fahrensohn 5+5reb
Jets: Z.Najdawi 31+8reb+1ast, S.Temara 23+1reb+3ast, R.Crawford 20+3reb+4ast, J.Bohannon 9+16reb+11ast, C.Tukaha 4+2ast, F.Isaac 3+4reb+4ast

Rams - Bulls 67-88

There was a minor upset in Christchurch where 4th placed Rams (5-4) were rolled over by seventh ranked Bulls (4-4) 88-67 on Sunday. Bulls looked well-organized offensively handing out 21 assists. Great defensive blocking was one of the keys in this match when Bulls made 8 blocks. It was a great evening for the former international forward Leon Henry (200-85, college: S.Idaho JC, agency: BIG) who led his team to a victory with a double-double by scoring 20 points, 18 rebounds, 5 assists and 5 blocks. The former international guard Corey Webster (188-88, college: Lambuth) helped adding 24 points and 8 assists. At the losing side the former international forward Maxwell Darling (196-0, agency: Octagon Europe) responded with 13 points and 9 rebounds and international guard Taylor Britt (187-1996, college: Southeast CC) scored 13 points and 5 assists. Four Rams players scored in double figures. Rams' coach gave up on the game allowing to play twelve players seeing no chance for a win. Bulls moved-up to sixth place, which they share with Mountainairs. Loser Rams keep the fourth position with four games lost. They share it with Nuggets. Bulls will meet at home Saints (#8) in the next round. Rams will play against Jets (#9) and hope to secure a win.
Top scorers:
Rams: S.Dech 15+2reb+3ast, R.Taylor 14+4reb, M.Darling 13+9reb+1ast, T.Britt 13+3reb+5ast, M.Karena 8+6reb+1ast, A.Talma 4+1reb
Bulls: C.Webster 24+4reb+8ast, L.Henry 20+18reb+5ast, J.Bezzant 13+2reb+4ast, I.Davidson 8+1reb+3ast, K.Robinson 7, A.Rissetto 6+2reb



Tags : ANTHONY HILLIARD, TARANAKI AIRS, NEW ZEALAND BASKETBALL