NBL Round 13: Airs are upset by Sharks

There are only two more rounds left in the Regular Season in NBL. Here is the last round review presented by Job Market.

The game between second ranked Airs (10-6) and tenth ranked Sharks (5-10) was the most important one in the last round on Friday night. Airs were defeated by Sharks in a tough game in Southland 74-81. Great defensive blocking was one of the keys in this match when Sharks made 11 blocks. Jamaican center Romaro Gill (218-1994, college: Seton Hall) fired 9 points, 18 rebounds and 5 blocks for the winners. American guard Daishon Knight (185-1991, college: Illinois St., agency: BIG) chipped in 21 points and 5 rebounds. Sharks' coach used a ten-player rotation which allowed the starters a little rest for the next games. American forward Javonte Douglas (203-1992, college: Montevallo) produced a double-double by scoring 19 points, 17 rebounds and 6 assists for lost side. Sharks moved-up to ninth place. Airs at the other side keep the second position with six games lost. Sharks are looking forward to face higher ranked Rams (#8) in Christchurch in the next round and it will be quite challenging to get another victory. Airs will play on the road against Bulls (#7) in Pukekohe and are hoping to win this game.
An exciting game between Top Four teams was played in Dunedin. Second ranked Airs faced 4th placed Nuggets. Guests from New Plymouth (10-6) smashed host Nuggets (8-8) 98-73. It ended at the same time the two-game winning streak of Nuggets. The game was dominated by American players. Worth to mention a great performance of forward Javonte Douglas (203-1992, college: Montevallo) who helped to win the game recording 23 points and 7 rebounds. Shaun Willett contributed with 18 points, 10 rebounds and 4 assists for the winners. Guard Tray Boyd III (193-1998, college: ETSU) answered with 29 points and 4 assists for Nuggets. 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 second place with 10-6 record having just two points less than leader Giants. Nuggets at the other side keep the fourth position with eight games lost. They share it with Hawks and Saints. Airs will play against Bulls (#7) in Pukekohe in the next round which should be theoretically another easy game. Nuggets will play at home against Sharks and hope to get back on the winning track.
Leader Giants delivered the twelfth victory on Saturday night. This time they beat 8th ranked Rams (7-9) 85-74 in Christchurch. Sam Thompson stepped up and scored 27 points, 8 rebounds and 5 assists for the winners. At the losing side Larry Austin Jr responded with a double-double by scoring 21 points, 11 rebounds and 7 assists. Giants have a solid series of four victories in a row. They maintain first place with 12-4 record. Loser Rams keep the eighth position with nine games lost. Giants will meet Saints (#4) in the next round. Rams will play against Sharks (#9) and it may be a tough game between close rivals.

Other games of round 13 were quite predictable and ended without any surprises. Here they are:
Saints crushed Hawks in Wellington 107-80. Bottom-ranked Jets lost to defending champion Saints at home 70-109. Tuatara destroyed Bulls on the opponent's court 89-68.
The best stats of 13th round was 21 points, 8 rebounds and 9 assists by Siler Schneider of Tuatara.

Hawks - Saints 80-107

There was a minor upset in Tamatea where 5th ranked Hawks (8-8) were crushed by eighth ranked Saints (8-8) 107-80 on Thursday. Great defensive blocking was one of the keys in this match when Saints made 8 blocks. Australian forward Xavier Cooks (203-1995, college: Winthrop) stepped up with a double-double by scoring 18 points, 16 rebounds and 6 assists for the winners and American forward Reggie Upshaw Jr (203-1995, college: MTSU) chipped in 26 points and 11 rebounds. Four Saints players scored in double figures. At the losing side the former international forward Hyrum Harris (198-1996, college: Umpqua CC) responded with 24 points and the former international guard Derone Raukawa (181-1994) scored 21 points and 5 assists. Hawks' coach gave up on the game allowing to play twelve players seeing no chance for a win. Saints have a solid series of four victories in a row. Defending champion moved-up to fourth place, which they share with Hawks and Nuggets. Saints will meet at home league's leader Giants in the next round and it will be quite challenging to get another victory. Hawks will play against Jets and hope to secure a win.
Top scorers:
Hawks: H.Harris 24+4reb+2ast, D.Raukawa 21+3reb+5ast, T.Agee 14+4reb+2ast, E.Bartlett 8+2reb+1ast, J.Salt 6+5reb+2ast, F.Tommy 2
Saints: R.Upshaw Jr. 26+11reb+2ast, T.Vodanovich 22+3reb+2ast, T.Samuel 18+5reb+3ast, X.Cooks 18+16reb+6ast, J.Ngatai 8+2reb+5ast, T.Kenneth 6+2reb+1ast

Sharks - Airs 81-74

The game between second ranked Airs (10-6) and tenth ranked Sharks (5-10) was the most important one in the last round on Friday night. Airs were defeated by Sharks in a tough game in Southland 74-81. Great defensive blocking was one of the keys in this match when Sharks made 11 blocks. Jamaican center Romaro Gill (218-1994, college: Seton Hall) fired 9 points, 18 rebounds and 5 blocks for the winners. American guard Daishon Knight (185-1991, college: Illinois St., agency: BIG) chipped in 21 points and 5 rebounds. Sharks' coach used a ten-player rotation which allowed the starters a little rest for the next games. American forward Javonte Douglas (203-1992, college: Montevallo) produced a double-double by scoring 19 points, 17 rebounds and 6 assists and the other American import swingman Anthony Hilliard (195-1986, college: ECSU) added 23 points and 8 rebounds respectively for lost side. Both teams had four players each who scored in double figures. Sharks moved-up to ninth place. Airs at the other side keep the second position with six games lost. Sharks are looking forward to face higher ranked Rams (#8) in Christchurch in the next round and it will be quite challenging to get another victory. Airs will play on the road against Bulls (#7) in Pukekohe and are hoping to win this game.
Top scorers:
Airs: A.Hilliard 23+8reb+2ast, J.Douglas 19+17reb+6ast, M.Jones 11+6reb+2ast, S.Willett 10+13reb+4ast, D.Carlin 6+4reb+3ast, T.Scott 5+1reb+1ast
Sharks: D.Knight 21+5reb+2ast, A.Burton 17+3reb+3ast, B.Inger 12+9reb+1ast, K.Mojave 10+4reb+3ast, R.Gill 9+18reb+1ast, D.Leusogi-Ape 8+2reb+1ast

Rams - Giants 74-85

Leader Giants delivered the twelfth victory on Saturday night. This time they beat 8th ranked Rams (7-9) 85-74 in Christchurch. American forward Sam Thompson (200-1992, college: Ohio St.) stepped up and scored 27 points, 8 rebounds and 5 assists for the winners and his fellow American import power forward Trey Mourning (206-1996, college: Georgetown, agency: Interperformances) chipped in 22 points and 12 rebounds. At the losing side American guard Larry Austin Jr (188-1996, college: CMU) responded with a double-double by scoring 21 points, 11 rebounds and 7 assists and guard Walter Brown (190) scored 19 points and 6 rebounds. Four Rams players scored in double figures. Giants have a solid series of four victories in a row. They maintain first place with 12-4 record. Loser Rams keep the eighth position with nine games lost. Giants will meet Saints (#4) in the next round. Rams will play against Sharks (#9) and it may be a tough game between close rivals.
Top scorers:
Rams: L.Austin Jr. 21+11reb+7ast, B.Walter 19+6reb+3ast, J.Cook-Green 12+2reb+7ast, M.Moyer 11+10reb, M.Karena 5+3reb, A.Talma 4+2reb
Giants: S.Thompson 27+8reb+5ast, T.Mourning 22+12reb, J.West 14+2reb+2ast, S.Dempster 9+7reb+3ast, N.Trathen 8+1reb+1ast, T.Marsh 3+2reb

Jets - Saints 70-109

No shocking result in a game in Palmerston North where eighth ranked Saints (8-8) smashed bottom-ranked Jets (5-12) 109-70 on Saturday. Saints looked well-organized offensively handing out 24 assists comparing to just 9 passes made by Jets' players. The former international forward Thomas Vodanovich (201-1994, college: JMU) stepped up with a double-double by scoring 20 points and 10 rebounds for the winners and Australian forward Xavier Cooks (203-1995, college: Winthrop) chipped in 16 points, 7 rebounds and 5 assists. Four Saints players scored in double figures. At the losing side naturalized American power forward Shane Temara (205-1995, college: N.Texas) responded with 12 points and 9 rebounds and Jordanian-American center John Bohannon (211-1991, college: UTEP) scored 7 points and 10 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 rest. Saints have a solid series of four victories in a row. Defending champion moved-up to fourth place, which they share with Hawks and Nuggets. Jets lost fifth consecutive game. They stay at the bottom position with 12 games lost. Saints will meet at home league's leader Giants in the next round and it will be quite challenging to get another victory. Jets will play against Hawks (#6) in Tamatea and hope to secure a win.
Top scorers:
Jets: S.Nathaniel 13+5reb, S.Temara 12+9reb+1ast, R.Crawford 11+5reb+1ast, M.Pafe 8+2reb+3ast, J.Bohannon 7+10reb+2ast, S.Klein 7+4reb
Saints: T.Kenneth 20+4reb+1ast, T.Vodanovich 20+10reb+1ast, D.Rangimarie 18+2reb+1ast, X.Cooks 16+7reb+5ast, T.Samuel 12+4reb+2ast, J.Ngatai 6+3reb+10ast

Nuggets - Airs 73-98

An exciting game between Top Four teams was played in Dunedin. Second ranked Airs faced 4th placed Nuggets. Guests from New Plymouth (10-6) smashed host Nuggets (8-8) 98-73. It ended at the same time the two-game winning streak of Nuggets. They outrebounded Nuggets 44-26 including a 37-19 advantage in defensive rebounds. The game was dominated by American players. Worth to mention a great performance of forward Javonte Douglas (203-1992, college: Montevallo) who helped to win the game recording 23 points and 7 rebounds. Swingman Shaun Willett (193-1996, college: Queens, NC) contributed with a double-double by scoring 18 points, 10 rebounds and 4 assists for the winners. Four Airs players scored in double figures. Guard Tray Boyd III (193-1998, college: ETSU) answered with 29 points and 4 assists and guard Keith Williams (196-1998, college: WKU) added 27 points (made all of his seven free throws) in the effort for Nuggets. 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 second place with 10-6 record having just two points less than leader Giants. Nuggets at the other side keep the fourth position with eight games lost. They share it with Hawks and Saints. Airs will play against Bulls (#7) in Pukekohe in the next round which should be theoretically another easy game. Nuggets will play at home against Sharks and hope to get back on the winning track.
Top scorers:
Nuggets: T.Boyd III 29+4reb+4ast, K.Williams 27+2reb+1ast, J.Aitcheson 5+2reb+3ast, A.Jack 4+3reb+2ast, R.Coman 4+1reb, T.Withers 3+6reb+1ast
Airs: A.Hilliard 25+4reb+1ast, J.Douglas 23+7reb+3ast, M.Jones 19+8reb+2ast, S.Willett 18+10reb+4ast, D.Carlin 7+8reb+4ast, F.Benji 3+1reb

Bulls - Tuatara 68-89

Very expected game in Pukekohe where 7th ranked Bulls (7-8) were rolled over by third ranked Huskies (10-7) 89-68 on Sunday. Huskies forced 23 Bulls turnovers. They looked well-organized offensively handing out 24 assists. American guard Siler Schneider (191-1995, college: UC Davis, agency: One Motive Sports) stepped up and scored 21 points, 8 rebounds and 9 assists for the winners and the former international forward Robert Loe (211-1991, college: St.Louis) chipped in 25 points and 7 rebounds. Schneider is a former Eurobasket Summer League player, which is considered top international summer league in the market. At the losing side the former international guard Corey Webster (188-1988, college: Lambuth) responded with 17 points and 8 assists and the former international forward Leon Henry (200-1985, college: S.Idaho JC, agency: BIG) produced a double-double by scoring 12 points and 13 rebounds. Five Huskies and four Bulls players scored in double figures. Huskies maintains third place with 10-7 record having just one point less than leader Giants. Loser Bulls keep the seventh position with eight games lost. Huskies will have a break next round, and it should allow them to practice more before next game. Bulls will play against the league's second-placed Airs (#2) and hope to secure a win.
Top scorers:
Bulls: C.Webster 17+4reb+8ast, N.Potts 16+4reb, L.Henry 12+13reb+1ast, A.Rissetto 10+7reb+2ast, D.Brooke 7+9reb+1ast, K.Robinson 4+3reb
Tuatara: R.Loe 25+7reb+3ast, S.Schneider 21+8reb+9ast, N.Dontae 14+7reb+5ast, I.Braydon 14+5reb+4ast, N.Barrow 10+6reb+2ast, B.Thomas 5+7reb



Tags : ROMARO GILL, SIT ZERO FEES SOUTHLAND SHARKS, NEW ZEALAND BASKETBALL