NBL Round 9: Hawks lose to Giants

Here is the last round review presented by Job Market.

The most crucial game of the last round was a loss of Hawks (7-4) in Tamatea on Sunday night. Hosts were defeated by Giants (8-3) 85-76. It ended at the same time the two-game winning streak of Hawks. It was a key game for the top position in the league. Giants had a 19-6 advantage in offensive rebounds. American forward Sam Thompson (200-1992, college: Ohio St.) stepped up with a double-double by scoring 18 points and 13 rebounds for the winners and his fellow American import point guard Jarrod West (182-1999, college: Louisville) chipped in 18 points, 6 rebounds and 6 assists. The best for the losing side was American forward Tajuan Agee (206-1997, college: Iona) with a double-double by scoring 18 points and 10 rebounds. Hawks' coach rotated ten players in this game, but that didn't help. Giants have a solid series of three victories in a row. They keep a position of league leader. Hawks at the other side dropped to the second place with four games lost. Giants are looking forward to face higher ranked Airs in New Plymouth in the next round. Hawks will play on the road against Jets in Palmerston North and are hoping to win this game.
The game between Top Four teams took place in Dunedin. Their close opponent host Nuggets (6-5) lost to fourth ranked Rams (6-6) 88-77. Australian guard Sunday Dech (195-1994, college: Barry) nailed a double-double by scoring 23 points and 10 rebounds for the winning side and Maxwell Darling accounted for 19 points and 8 rebounds. The former international power forward Samuel Timmins (211-1997, college: Washington) came up with a double-double by scoring 14 points and 13 rebounds (on 6-of-7 shooting from the field) for Nuggets in the defeat. Despite that victory Rams went down to fifth position due to points difference. Nuggets at the other side keep the fourth place with five games lost. Rams will play against Bulls (#6) in Pukekohe in the next round. Nuggets will play at home against Huskies and it may be a tough game between close rivals.
The game between Top Four teams took place in Auckland. Their close opponent host Huskies (7-5) lost to second ranked Giants (8-3) 95-90. The best player for the winners was Sam Dempster who scored 29 points and 6 rebounds. At the other side the best for losing team was Siler Schneider who recorded 27 points, 6 rebounds and 8 assists. Giants have a solid series of three victories in a row. They keep a position of league leader. Huskies lost fourth consecutive game. They dropped to the third place with five games lost. Giants will meet at home higher ranked Airs in the next round. Huskies will play against Nuggets in Dunedin and it may be a tough game between close rivals.

There were no shocking results in the rest of the games of round 9: Jets lost to undefeated Airs on the opponent's court 100-131. Bottom-ranked Sharks managed to outperform Rams in a home game 103-102. Bulls were rolled over Saints on the road 101-73.

Nuggets - Rams 77-88

The game between Top Four teams took place in Dunedin. Their close opponent host Nuggets (6-5) lost to fourth ranked Rams (6-6) 88-77. Australian guard Sunday Dech (195-1994, college: Barry) nailed a double-double by scoring 23 points and 10 rebounds for the winning side and the former international forward Maxwell Darling (196-2000, agency: Octagon Europe) accounted for 19 points and 8 rebounds. The former international power forward Samuel Timmins (211-1997, college: Washington) came up with a double-double by scoring 14 points and 13 rebounds (on 6-of-7 shooting from the field) and American guard Keith Williams (196-1998, college: WKU) added 22 points respectively for Nuggets in the defeat. Five Rams and four Nuggets players scored in double figures. Despite that victory Rams went down to fifth position due to points difference. Nuggets at the other side keep the fourth place with five games lost. Rams will play against Bulls (#6) in Pukekohe in the next round. Nuggets will play at home against Huskies and it may be a tough game between close rivals.
Top scorers:
Rams: S.Dech 23+10reb+3ast, M.Darling 19+8reb, B.Walter 14+7reb+2ast, L.Austin Jr. 10+5reb+3ast, M.Moyer 10+7reb, T.Britt 8+2reb+1ast
Nuggets: K.Williams 22+4reb, T.Withers 15+4reb+1ast, S.Timmins 14+13reb, T.Boyd III 13+3reb+3ast, J.Aitcheson 5+6reb+4ast, B.Matthew 4+2reb+1ast

Tuatara - Giants 90-95

The game between Top Four teams took place in Auckland. Their close opponent host Huskies (7-5) lost to second ranked Giants (8-3) 95-90. The best player for the winners was swingman Sam Dempster (194-1990) who scored 29 points and 6 rebounds. American forward Sam Thompson (200-1992, college: Ohio St.) chipped in 24 points, 9 rebounds and 4 assists. At the other side the best for losing team was American guard Siler Schneider (191-1995, college: UC Davis, agency: One Motive Sports) who recorded 27 points, 6 rebounds and 8 assists and the former international forward Robert Loe (211-1991, college: St.Louis) added 15 points, 19 rebounds and 4 assists respectively. Four Giants and five Huskies players scored in double figures. Giants have a solid series of three victories in a row. They keep a position of league leader. Huskies lost fourth consecutive game. They dropped to the third place with five games lost. Giants will meet at home higher ranked Airs in the next round. Huskies will play against Nuggets in Dunedin and it may be a tough game between close rivals.
Top scorers:
Giants: S.Dempster 29+6reb+3ast, S.Thompson 24+9reb+4ast, J.West 16+3reb+9ast, M.Alexander 11+3reb+2ast, T.Mourning 9+9reb+1ast, N.Trathen 6+1reb
Tuatara: S.Schneider 27+6reb+8ast, N.Dontae 18+4reb+4ast, R.Loe 15+19reb+4ast, T.Fahrensohn 14+5reb+2ast, I.Braydon 11+4reb+1ast, N.Barrow 5+1reb

Airs - Jets 131-100

Very expected game in New Plymouth where 8th ranked Jets (4-7) were crushed by leader Airs (0-0) 131-100 on Saturday. Airs forced 20 Jets turnovers. They looked well-organized offensively handing out 38 assists comparing to just 22 passes made by Jets' players. The best player for the winners was American forward Javonte Douglas (203-1992, college: Montevallo) who had a triple-double by scoring 34 points (!!!), 13 rebounds and 11 assists. His fellow American import swingman Anthony Hilliard (195-1986, college: ECSU) chipped in a double-double by scoring 26 points and 10 assists. At the other side the best for losing team was American-Jordanian forward Zane Najdawi (201-1996, college: Citadel) who recorded 24 points and 5 rebounds (went 8 for 8 at the free throw line) and Jordanian-American center John Bohannon (211-1991, college: UTEP) added 16 points and 12 rebounds respectively. Five Airs and four Jets 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. Airs maintains th place with 0-0 record. Loser Jets keep the eighth position with seven games lost. They share it with Saints. Airs will meet Saints (#8) in the next round and are hoping to win another game. Jets will play against the league's second-placed Hawks and hope to secure a win.
Top scorers:
Airs: J.Douglas 34+13reb+11ast, S.Willett 26+5reb+4ast, A.Hilliard 26+3reb+10ast, M.Jones 12+6reb+5ast, R.Rodger 11+1reb+4ast, D.Carlin 11+3reb
Jets: Z.Najdawi 24+5reb+3ast, R.Crawford 22+3reb+3ast, J.Bohannon 16+12reb+1ast, S.Temara 13+5reb+3ast, S.Nathaniel 9+1reb+2ast, F.Isaac 8+6reb+6ast

Sharks - Rams 103-102

There was a surprise result in Southland where tenth ranked Sharks (3-8) edged 4th placed Rams (6-6) 103-102 on Saturday. Strangely Rams outrebounded Sharks 44-31 including 16 on the offensive glass. They looked well-organized offensively handing out 23 assists. The best player for the winners was American forward Winston Shepard (203-1993, college: SDSU, agency: Slash Sports) who had a double-double by scoring 15 points, 10 rebounds and 5 assists. Naturalized American guard Mojave King (196-2002) chipped in 26 points. At the other side the best for losing team was American guard Larry Austin Jr (188-1996, college: CMU) who recorded a double-double by scoring 14 points, 13 rebounds and 4 assists and international guard Taylor Britt (187-1996, college: Southeast CC) added 17 points and 8 assists respectively. Five Sharks and four Rams players scored in double figures. Both coaches used bench players in such tough game. Sharks maintains tenth place with 3-8 record. Loser Rams dropped to the fifth position with six games lost. Sharks will meet at home higher ranked Huskies (#3) in the next round and it will be quite challenging to get another victory. Rams will play against Bulls in Pukekohe and it may be a tough game between close rivals.
Top scorers:
Sharks: K.Mojave 26+1reb+2ast, A.Burton 16+2reb, W.Shepard 15+10reb+5ast, J.Gerrand 13+1reb+1ast, D.Knight 12+2reb+10ast, D.Leusogi-Ape 12+4reb+3ast
Rams: S.Dech 18+3reb+1ast, T.Britt 17+3reb+8ast, M.Darling 16+7reb+1ast, L.Austin Jr. 14+13reb+4ast, B.Walter 11+5reb, J.Cook-Green 7+1ast

Saints - Bulls 101-73

There was a minor upset in Wellington where 6th ranked Bulls (5-5) were rolled over by ninth ranked Saints (4-7) 101-73 on Sunday. Saints outrebounded Bulls 47-33 including a 38-24 advantage in defensive rebounds. They looked well-organized offensively handing out 21 assists comparing to just 7 passes made by Bulls' players. The best player for the winners was Australian forward Xavier Cooks (203-1995, college: Winthrop) who had a double-double by scoring 22 points, 11 rebounds, 7 assists and 4 steals (on 6-of-7 shooting from the field). The former international forward Thomas Vodanovich (201-1994, college: JMU) chipped in a double-double by scoring 18 points and 15 rebounds. Five Saints players scored in double figures. At the other side the best for losing team was the former international guard Corey Webster (188-1988, college: Lambuth) who recorded 29 points, 7 rebounds and 4 assists and American guard Nathanial Potts (188-1995, college: MTSU) added 24 points and 8 rebounds respectively. Defending champion moved-up to eighth place, which they share with Jets. Loser Bulls keep the sixth position with five games lost. They share it with Mountainairs. Saints will meet at home higher ranked Airs in the next round. Bulls will play against Rams (#5) and it may be a tough game between close rivals.
Top scorers:
Saints: X.Cooks 22+11reb+7ast, M.Smith 21+3reb+7ast, T.Vodanovich 18+15reb+3ast, T.Samuel 14+2reb+2ast, J.Ngatai 11+6reb, M.Francis 6+3reb+1ast
Bulls: C.Webster 29+7reb+4ast, N.Potts 24+8reb+1ast, L.Henry 10+6reb, I.Davidson 5+2reb, K.Robinson 3+1reb, A.Rissetto 2+9reb

Hawks - Giants 76-85

The most crucial game of the last round was a loss of Hawks (7-4) in Tamatea on Sunday night. Hosts were defeated by Giants (8-3) 85-76. It ended at the same time the two-game winning streak of Hawks. It was a key game for the top position in the league. Giants had a 19-6 advantage in offensive rebounds. American forward Sam Thompson (200-1992, college: Ohio St.) stepped up with a double-double by scoring 18 points and 13 rebounds for the winners and his fellow American import point guard Jarrod West (182-1999, college: Louisville) chipped in 18 points, 6 rebounds and 6 assists. The best for the losing side was American forward Tajuan Agee (206-1997, college: Iona) with a double-double by scoring 18 points and 10 rebounds and the former international forward Hyrum Harris (198-1996, college: Umpqua CC) produced a double-double by scoring 12 points, 11 rebounds and 4 assists. Both teams had four players each who scored in double figures. Hawks' coach rotated ten players in this game, but that didn't help. Giants have a solid series of three victories in a row. They keep a position of league leader. Hawks at the other side dropped to the second place with four games lost. Giants are looking forward to face higher ranked Airs in New Plymouth in the next round. Hawks will play on the road against Jets in Palmerston North and are hoping to win this game.
Top scorers:
Giants: T.Mourning 18+7reb+2ast, J.West 18+6reb+6ast, S.Thompson 18+13reb+3ast, S.Dempster 13+4reb+2ast, M.Alexander 9+3reb+1ast, N.Trathen 7+7reb+2ast
Hawks: E.Rusbatch 19+4reb+2ast, T.Agee 18+10reb+3ast, D.Raukawa 17+3reb+3ast, H.Harris 12+11reb+4ast, E.Jack 4+1ast, D.Albertsen 3



Tags : SAM THOMPSON, MIKE PERO NELSON GIANTS, NEW ZEALAND BASKETBALL