NBL Round 16 (Regular Season): Tuatara edges Airs by one point

There will be only one (last) round of the Regular Season in NBL. Here is the last round review presented by Job Market.

The most exciting game of round 16 in the NBL took place in New Plymouth. This derby game ended with only one-point home defeat of one of their biggest challengers Airs (13-6) to second ranked Tuatara (16-3) 77-76 in the game for the second place. Guard Braydon Iuli (193-2003, college: Menlo) fired 20 points and 7 assists for the winners. Australian swingman Cameron Gliddon (197-1989, college: CUI) chipped in 17 points, 7 rebounds, 4 assists and 4 steals. Guard Carlin Davison (196-2003) produced a double-double by scoring 23 points and 16 rebounds for lost side. Tuatara have a solid four-game winning streak. They maintain second position with 16-3 record behind leader Rams. Airs at the other side keep the third place with six games lost. They share the position with Saints. Tuatara are looking forward to face Hawks (#8) in Tamatea in the next round where they are favorite. Airs will play at home against Giants (#6) and are hoping to prove to their fans that this time they can win.
Leader Rams delivered the seventeenth victory. This time they crushed 10th ranked Sharks (3-15) 104-70 in Christchurch. It ended at the same time the two-game winning streak of Sharks. Worth to mention a great performance of Australian Lachlan Olbrich (208-2003, college: UC Riverside) who helped to win the game recording 22 points and 7 rebounds. Taylor Britt contributed with 21 points and 6 assists for the winners. Rams' coach felt very confident that he used entire bench which allowed the starters a little rest for the next games. Center Callum McRae (216-1999, college: Sacramento St.) replied with 9 points, 10 rebounds and 6 assists for Sharks. Rams (17-2) have an impressive 16-game winning streak. Defending champion maintains first position. Sharks at the other side keep the tenth place with 15 games lost. Rams will play against Bulls (#5) in Pukekohe in the next round. Sharks will play on the road against Saints (#3) in Wellington and hope to get back on the winning track.
We should mention about the upset which took place in Stoke, where 6th ranked Giants (8-11) lost at home to ninth ranked Nuggets (7-12) 79-88 on Friday. Worth to mention a great performance of Zaccheus Darko-Kelly who helped to win the game recording a double-double by scoring 34 points (!!!) and 10 rebounds. At the losing side Daniel Grida responded with 28 points and 7 rebounds. Nuggets moved-up to seventh place, which they share with Hawks and Whai. Loser Giants keep the sixth position with 11 games lost. Nuggets will meet at home higher ranked Bulls (#5) in the next round and it may be quite challenging game. Giants will play against Airs in New Plymouth and it may be a tough game between close rivals.

Rest of the games of round 16 were very predictable and ended without any surprises. Here they are:
Whai was defeated by Saints in Wellington 100-94. Bulls beat Hawks at home 102-93. Bottom-ranked Jets were destroyed by Hawks on the opponent's court 97-78.



Saints - Whai 100-94

There was no surprise in Wellington where 7th ranked Whai (7-12) was defeated by fourth ranked Saints (13-6) 100-94 on Wednesday. Saints dominated down low during the game scoring 58 of its points in the paint compared to Whai's 34. Saints looked well-organized offensively handing out 22 assists. Worth to mention a great performance of Australian guard Ben Ayre (184-1995, college: Newman) who helped to win the game recording 21 points and 9 assists and the former international forward Hyrum Harris (204-1996, college: Umpqua CC) who added 19 points, 6 rebounds and 5 assists during the contest. At the losing side American forward Phil Carr (206-1995, college: Morgan St.) responded with 23 points and 7 rebounds and power forward Denhym Brooke (203-1996, college: Hawaii-Hilo) scored 21 points and 8 rebounds. Both teams had five players each who scored in double figures. Saints moved-up to third place, which they share with Airs. Newly promoted Whai keeps the seventh position with 12 games lost. They share it with Hawks and Nuggets. Saints will meet at home Sharks (#10) in the next round and are hoping to win another game. Whai will play against Jets and hope to secure a win.
Top scorers:
Saints: B.Ayre 21+2reb+9ast, H.Harris 19+6reb+5ast, T.Henderson Jr. 17+6reb+4ast, T.Samuel 15+3reb+1ast, T.Smith-Milner 11+6reb, R.Dougall-Mita 9+6reb+1ast
Whai: P.Carr 23+7reb+2ast, D.Brooke 21+8reb+1ast, D.Holland 16+6reb+3ast, K.Perrott-Hunt 14+7reb+5ast, J.Bezzant 10+3reb+5ast, C.Hopoi 7+3reb+1ast

Bulls - Hawks 102-93

No shocking result in a game in Pukekohe where fifth ranked Bulls (11-7) defeated 9th ranked Hawks (7-12) 102-93 on Thursday. Bulls dominated down low during the game scoring 76 of its points in the paint compared to Hawks' 48. Worth to mention a great performance of American guard Luther Muhammad (190-1999, college: Arizona St.) who helped to win the game recording 30 points and the other American import guard Joshua Scott (185-1998, college: Thomas Univ.) who added 16 points and 9 assists during the contest. At the losing side naturalized Australian guard Keanu Rasmussen (188-2003, college: CBU) responded with 23 points and 8 rebounds and American guard Isaiah Moore (185-2000, college: USA) scored 23 points and 7 assists. Both teams had four players each who scored in double figures. Bulls maintains fifth position with 11-7 record. Hawks lost fifth consecutive game. They dropped to the seventh place with 12 games lost. They share the position with Nuggets and Whai. Bulls will meet Nuggets (#7) in the next round. Hawks will play against the league's second-placed Tuatara and hope to secure a win.
Top scorers:
Bulls: L.Muhammad 30+3reb+3ast, I.Davidson 16+5reb+2ast, J.Scott 16+2reb+9ast, L.Skinner 14+9reb+3ast, C.Vano 11+2reb, S.Timmins 9+6reb+3ast
Hawks: L.Sutherland 25+2reb+2ast, K.Rasmussen 23+8reb+1ast, I.Moore 23+2reb+7ast, J.Roberts 12+11reb, K.Treacher 5, K.Kara 4+2reb

Giants - Nuggets 79-88

We should mention about the upset which took place in Stoke, where 6th ranked Giants (8-11) lost at home to ninth ranked Nuggets (7-12) 79-88 on Friday. Worth to mention a great performance of American guard Zaccheus Darko-Kelly (198-1997, college: Providence, MT) who helped to win the game recording a double-double by scoring 34 points (!!!) and 10 rebounds and the other American import Kimani Lawrence (202-1998, college: Arizona St.) who added 22 points and 6 rebounds during the contest. At the losing side Australian swingman Daniel Grida (195-1998) responded with 28 points and 7 rebounds and the former international forward Daniel Fotu (203-1999, college: SMC) scored 20 points and 9 rebounds. Nuggets moved-up to seventh place, which they share with Hawks and Whai. Loser Giants keep the sixth position with 11 games lost. Nuggets will meet at home higher ranked Bulls (#5) in the next round and it may be quite challenging game. Giants will play against Airs in New Plymouth and it may be a tough game between close rivals.
Top scorers:
Nuggets: Z.Darko-Kelly 34+10reb+3ast, K.Lawrence 22+6reb+3ast, J.Andrew 13+8reb+1ast, M.Bardsley 8+3reb+1ast, J.Aitcheson 4+3reb+1ast, R.Coman 4+1reb+2ast
Giants: D.Grida 28+7reb+1ast, D.Fotu 20+9reb+2ast, S.Dempster 9+10reb+1ast, A.Inwood 8+2reb+2ast, A.McNaught 7+2reb+9ast, K.Langley 5+1reb

Hawks - Jets 97-78

Rather expected game in Tamatea where 11th ranked Jets (1-17) were rolled over by ninth ranked Hawks (7-12) 97-78 on Saturday. Hawks dominated down low during the game scoring 62 of its points in the paint compared to Jets' 36. They outrebounded Jets 56-37 including a 38-27 advantage in defensive rebounds. Worth to mention a great performance of American forward Josh Roberts (205-1999, college: Manhattan) who helped to win the game recording a double-double by scoring 26 points and 28 rebounds and the other American import guard Isaiah Moore (185-2000, college: USA) who added 25 points, 5 rebounds and 12 assists during the contest. Five Hawks players scored in double figures. At the losing side American guard Mustapha Heron (196-1997, college: St.John's) responded with 30 points and 5 rebounds and power forward James Moors (206-2000, college: Colorado St.) produced a double-double by scoring 14 points and 15 rebounds. Both coaches used bench players and allowed the starting five to rest. Hawks moved-up to seventh place, which they share with Nuggets and Whai. Jets lost sixteenth consecutive game. They stay dead last with 17 lost games. Hawks will meet at home league's second-placed Tuatara in the next round and they do not belong to the favorites in that game. Jets will play against Sharks (#10) and it may be a tough game between close rivals.
Top scorers:
Hawks: J.Roberts 26+28reb, I.Moore 25+5reb+12ast, K.Rasmussen 14+4reb+2ast, L.Sutherland 11+5reb+2ast, J.Murphy 10+5reb+2ast, K.Kara 7+4reb
Jets: M.Heron 30+5reb+3ast, J.Moors 14+15reb+1ast, K.Whitney 10+2reb+1ast, C.Scott 9+1reb+2ast, L.Judd 9+4reb+1ast, Q.Lane 6+6reb+9ast

Airs - Tuatara 76-77

The most exciting game of round 16 in the NBL took place in New Plymouth. This derby game ended with only one-point home defeat of one of their biggest challengers Airs (13-6) to second ranked Tuatara (16-3) 77-76 in the game for the second place. Guard Braydon Iuli (193-2003, college: Menlo) fired 20 points and 7 assists for the winners. Australian swingman Cameron Gliddon (197-1989, college: CUI) chipped in 17 points, 7 rebounds, 4 assists and 4 steals. Four Tuatara players scored in double figures. Guard Carlin Davison (196-2003) produced a double-double by scoring 23 points and 16 rebounds and international guard Flynn Cameron (196-2000, college: UC Riverside) added 19 points and 7 rebounds respectively for lost side. Tuatara have a solid four-game winning streak. They maintain second position with 16-3 record behind leader Rams. Airs at the other side keep the third place with six games lost. They share the position with Saints. Tuatara are looking forward to face Hawks (#8) in Tamatea in the next round where they are favorite. Airs will play at home against Giants (#6) and are hoping to prove to their fans that this time they can win.
Top scorers:
Tuatara: B.Iuli 20+2reb+7ast, C.Gliddon 17+7reb+4ast, C.Dalton 15+6reb+1ast, R.Loe 13+9reb+3ast, T.Cooper 4+1reb+1ast, R.Fitzgerald 4+1ast
Airs: C.Davison 23+16reb+3ast, F.Cameron 19+7reb+3ast, T.Cameron 12+11reb+4ast, D.Raukawa 9+3reb, Q.Bailey 6+1reb, C.Quinnell 5+4reb

Rams - Sharks 104-70

Leader Rams delivered the seventeenth victory. This time they crushed 10th ranked Sharks (3-15) 104-70 in Christchurch. It ended at the same time the two-game winning streak of Sharks. Rams made 16-of-21 charity shots (76.2 percent) during the game. Worth to mention a great performance of Australian Lachlan Olbrich (208-2003, college: UC Riverside) who helped to win the game recording 22 points and 7 rebounds. International guard Taylor Britt (187-1996, college: Southeast CC) contributed with 21 points and 6 assists for the winners. Rams' coach felt very confident that he used entire bench which allowed the starters a little rest for the next games. Center Callum McRae (216-1999, college: Sacramento St.) replied with 9 points, 10 rebounds and 6 assists and the former international forward Brayden Inger (203-1999, agency: VM Hoops Agency) added 17 points and 6 rebounds in the effort for Sharks. Both teams had four players each who scored in double figures. Rams (17-2) have an impressive 16-game winning streak. Defending champion maintains first position. Sharks at the other side keep the tenth place with 15 games lost. Rams will play against Bulls (#5) in Pukekohe in the next round. Sharks will play on the road against Saints (#3) in Wellington and hope to get back on the winning track.
Top scorers:
Rams: L.Olbrich 22+7reb+2ast, T.Britt 21+3reb+6ast, M.Walker 21+1ast, M.Darling 10+4reb+3ast, A.Tonge 8+4reb+1ast, K.Isaac 6+5reb+3ast
Sharks: B.Inger 17+6reb, C.Robb 14+1reb+1ast, S.Telfer 12+2reb, A.Burton 11+5reb+2ast, C.McRae 9+10reb+6ast, C.Asberry 7+3reb+3ast