NBL Round 7 (Regular Season): Sharks defeat Tuatara in the game between Top 4 teams

Here is the last round review presented by Job Market.

An interesting game for Sharks (8-2) which hosted in Southland 4th placed Tuatara (6-2). First ranked Sharks had an easy win 111-94. Sharks dominated down low during the game scoring 68 of its points in the paint compared to Tuatara's 44. Worth to mention a great performance of the former international power forward Samuel Timmins (211-1997, college: Washington) who helped to win the game recording a double-double by scoring 26 points, 15 rebounds and 5 assists. American point guard Rylan Jones (183-2000, college: Samford) contributed with 27 points and 5 assists for the winners. Sharks' coach used an eleven-player rotation which allowed the starters a little rest for the next games. The former international power forward Robert Loe (211-1991, college: St.Louis) answered with a double-double by scoring 16 points and 11 rebounds for Tuatara. Sharks have an impressive series of seven victories in a row. They maintain first place with 8-2 record. Tuatara at the other side dropped to the second position with two games lost. Sharks are looking forward to face Saints (#4) in Wellington in the next round. Tuatara will play on the road against Nuggets in Dunedin and is hoping to prove to their supporters that the loss was just an accident.
Ninth-ranked Giants (2-5) were very close to win a game against fourth ranked Tuatara (6-2) in Auckland. Tuatara managed to secure only two-point victory 99-97. However their fans expected much easier game. It was a great evening for American guard Josh Dilling (193-2001, college: NKU) who led his team to a victory scoring 26 points, 7 rebounds and 4 assists. Robert Loe helped adding 18 points, 7 rebounds, 9 assists and 4 steals. At the losing side the former international guard Alexander McNaught (185-2002) responded with a double-double by scoring 16 points, 6 rebounds and 11 assists. Tuatara moved-up to second place. Giants lost their third game in a row. They keep the ninth position with five games lost. They share it with Hawks and Whai. Tuatara will play against Nuggets (#5) in Dunedin in the next round. Giants will play at home against Hawks (#10) and it may be a tough game between close rivals.
A very close game took place in Tauranga between Jets and Tauranga. Tenth ranked Jets (3-6) got a very close victory on the road over 9th ranked Tauranga (2-5). Jets managed to escape with a 2-point win 99-97 on Friday evening. It was an exceptional evening for Jamal Poplar who led the winners and scored 36 points (!!!) and 9 rebounds. Jets' coach allowed to play the deep bench players in such tough game. Taine Murray came up with 34 points (!!!) and 4 assists (made all of his nine free throws !!!) for Whai in the defeat. Jets moved-up to eighth place. Whai lost their fifth game in a row. They dropped to the bottom position with five games lost. They share it with Hawks and Giants. Both teams do not play next round, which will be an opportunity for some rest.

In the last two games of round 7 Bulls were smashed by Saints on the road 126-88. Bulls lost to Jets on its own court 103-112.



Tuatara - Giants 99-97

Ninth-ranked Giants (2-5) were very close to win a game against fourth ranked Tuatara (6-2) in Auckland. Tuatara managed to secure only two-point victory 99-97. However their fans expected much easier game. Tuatara made 28-of-37 charity shots (75.7 percent) during the game. Their players were unselfish on offense dishing 23 assists. Giants were plagued by 29 personal fouls down the stretch. It was a great evening for American guard Josh Dilling (193-2001, college: NKU) who led his team to a victory scoring 26 points, 7 rebounds and 4 assists. The former international power forward Robert Loe (211-1991, college: St.Louis) helped adding 18 points, 7 rebounds, 9 assists and 4 steals. At the losing side the former international guard Alexander McNaught (185-2002) responded with a double-double by scoring 16 points, 6 rebounds and 11 assists and the former international guard Kruz Perrott-Hunt (191-2000, college: S.Dakota) scored 26 points. Five Tuatara and four Giants players scored in double figures. Tuatara moved-up to second place. Giants lost their third game in a row. They keep the ninth position with five games lost. They share it with Hawks and Whai. Tuatara will play against Nuggets (#5) in Dunedin in the next round. Giants will play at home against Hawks (#10) and it may be a tough game between close rivals.
Top scorers:
Giants: K.Perrott-Hunt 26+2reb+3ast, D.Samuel 22+5reb+1ast, M.Alexander 16+6reb+11ast, L.Judd 13+7reb+1ast, T.Smith-Milner 9+7reb+1ast, E.Luukkonen 8+1reb+2ast
Tuatara: D.Josh 26+7reb+4ast, Z.Riley 21+8reb+3ast, L.Robert 18+7reb+9ast, V.Thomas 17+6reb, J.Chris 10+4reb+2ast, D.Wilkie 3+2reb+2ast

Saints - Bulls 126-88

No shocking result in a game when fourth ranked Saints (5-3) crushed 7th ranked Bulls (3-5) in Wellington 126-88 on Sunday. Saints made 30-of-35 free shots (85.7 percent) during the game, while Bulls only scored fourteen points from the stripe. Saints forced 19 Bulls turnovers and outrebounded them 45-30 including a 34-19 advantage in defensive rebounds. Saints looked well-organized offensively handing out 38 assists comparing to just 18 passes made by Bulls' players. American players dominated the game. It was an exceptional evening for guard Elijah Pepper (193-2001, college: UC Davis) who led the winners and scored 23 points, 6 rebounds and 6 assists. Swingman Donte Ingram (198-1996, college: Loyola, IL) accounted for 26 points and 5 assists (made all of his eight free throws) for the winning side. Five Saints players scored in double figures. Guard Jace Carter (198-2003, college: Texas A&M) came up with 32 points and 9 rebounds and guard Carter Whitt (190-2002, college: Belmont) added 19 points, 10 assists and 4 steals respectively for Bulls in the defeat. The winner was already known earlier in the game, so both coaches allowed to play the bench players saving starting five for next games. The victory was the fourth consecutive win for Saints. Defending champion maintains fourth place with 5-3 record. Loser Bulls dropped to the sixth position with five games lost. They share it with Airs. Saints will meet league's leader Sharks in the next round and it will be quite challenging to get another victory. Bulls will have a break next round.
Top scorers:
Bulls: J.Carter 32+9reb+2ast, C.Whitt 19+10ast, D.Boyd 16+7reb+3ast, P.Taiapau 8+1reb, P.Brody 4+2reb, R.Kael 3+5reb+2ast
Saints: I.Donte 26+3reb+5ast, P.Elijah 23+6reb+6ast, J.Hunt 14+4reb+2ast, D.Carlin 13+7reb+6ast, A.Aliir 13+12reb+2ast, A.Chunga 12+3reb+1ast

Bulls - Jets 103-112

There was a minor upset when 7th ranked Bulls (3-5) lost to tenth ranked Jets (3-6) in Pukekohe 103-112 on Wednesday. Jets outrebounded Bulls 38-27 including 26 on the defensive glass. It was a great shooting night for Jets especially from behind the arc, where they had solid 71.4 percentage. They looked well-organized offensively handing out 28 assists. Great defensive blocking was one of the keys in this match when Jets made 10 blocks. American players dominated the game. It was an exceptional evening for power forward Jamal Poplar (204-1996, college: Seward County) who led the winners with a double-double by scoring 29 points, 7 rebounds and 10 assists. Guard Kaden Sand (198-2001, college: Bushnell) accounted for 35 points (!!!) and 6 rebounds (made all of his ten free throws !!!) for the winning side. Poplar is a former Eurobasket Summer League player, which is considered top international summer league in the market. Guard Carter Whitt (190-2002, college: Belmont) came up with a double-double by scoring 24 points and 13 assists and guard Jace Carter (198-2003, college: Texas A&M) added 23 points, 9 rebounds and 5 assists respectively for Bulls in the defeat. Four Jets and five Bulls players scored in double figures. Jets moved-up to eighth place. Loser Bulls dropped to the sixth position with five games lost. They share it with Airs. Both teams do not play next round, which will be an opportunity for some rest.
Top scorers:
Bulls: C.Whitt 24+2reb+13ast, J.Carter 23+9reb+5ast, R.Kael 21+7reb+1ast, D.Boyd 16+3reb+2ast, K.Dominique 11+1reb+2ast, B.Ellis 5+2reb
Jets: S.Kaden 35+6reb+1ast, J.Poplar 29+7reb+10ast, J.Evans 20+1reb+7ast, S.Isiah 10+14reb+6ast, B.Caldwell 7+1reb, H.Zahran 4

Sharks - Tuatara 111-94

An interesting game for Sharks (8-2) which hosted in Southland 4th placed Tuatara (6-2). First ranked Sharks had an easy win 111-94. Sharks dominated down low during the game scoring 68 of its points in the paint compared to Tuatara's 44. Worth to mention a great performance of the former international power forward Samuel Timmins (211-1997, college: Washington) who helped to win the game recording a double-double by scoring 26 points, 15 rebounds and 5 assists. American point guard Rylan Jones (183-2000, college: Samford) contributed with 27 points and 5 assists for the winners. Sharks' coach used an eleven-player rotation which allowed the starters a little rest for the next games. The former international power forward Robert Loe (211-1991, college: St.Louis) answered with a double-double by scoring 16 points and 11 rebounds and American power forward Chris Johnson (211-1985, college: LSU, agency: Elevate Sports Alliance) added 18 points and 7 rebounds in the effort for Tuatara. Both teams had five players each who scored in double figures. Sharks have an impressive series of seven victories in a row. They maintain first place with 8-2 record. Tuatara at the other side dropped to the second position with two games lost. Sharks are looking forward to face Saints (#4) in Wellington in the next round. Tuatara will play on the road against Nuggets in Dunedin and is hoping to prove to their supporters that the loss was just an accident.
Top scorers:
Tuatara: C.Johnson 18+7reb+2ast, J.Dilling 17+1reb+8ast, T.Vodanovich 17+5reb+1ast, R.Loe 16+11reb+2ast, R.Zach 13+3reb+3ast, W.Dylan 8+1reb+1ast
Sharks: A.Caleb 28+4reb+3ast, J.Rylan 27+4reb+5ast, T.Samuel 26+15reb+5ast, B.Keylan 16+4reb+1ast, B.Inger 10+3reb+3ast, T.Cooper 4+2reb+2ast

Whai - Jets 97-99

A very close game took place in Tauranga between Jets and Tauranga. Tenth ranked Jets (3-6) got a very close victory on the road over 9th ranked Tauranga (2-5). Jets managed to escape with a 2-point win 99-97 on Friday evening. Jets made 20-of-25 free shots (80.0 percent) during the game. It was a great shooting night for Jets especially from behind the arc, where they had solid 52.4 percentage. It was an exceptional evening for American power forward Jamal Poplar (204-1996, college: Seward County) who led the winners and scored 36 points (!!!) and 9 rebounds. His fellow American import forward Isiah Small (202-1998, college: Texas St.) accounted for 21 points and 10 rebounds for the winning side. Poplar is a former Eurobasket Summer League player, which is considered top international summer league in the market. Jets' coach allowed to play the deep bench players in such tough game. The former international guard Taine Murray (196-2002, college: Virginia) came up with 34 points (!!!) and 4 assists (made all of his nine free throws !!!) and Australian guard Nicholas Stoddart (188-2000) added 17 points and 9 assists respectively for Whai in the defeat. Five Jets and four Whai players scored in double figures. Jets moved-up to eighth place. Whai lost their fifth game in a row. They dropped to the bottom position with five games lost. They share it with Hawks and Giants. Both teams do not play next round, which will be an opportunity for some rest.
Top scorers:
Whai: T.Murray 34+3reb+4ast, N.Stoddart 17+4reb+9ast, M.Xanda 12+4reb+1ast, R.Te Rangi 10+4reb+1ast, T.Nicolas 8+10reb, J.Bezzant 7+4reb+1ast
Jets: J.Poplar 36+9reb+3ast, S.Isiah 21+10reb+3ast, S.Kaden 15+6reb+4ast, W.Corey 11+4ast, L.Richards 10+3reb+1ast, H.Zahran 3+1reb