NBL Round 18 of Regular Season

Here is the last round review presented by Job Market.

The game in Pukekohe was quite interesting. Second ranked Saints (12-4) played at the court of 6th ranked Bulls (8-9). Saints defeated Bulls 93-77 on Wednesday. Saints made 18-of-23 free shots (78.3 percent) during the game. It was a good game for the former international forward Hyrum Harris (204-1996, college: Umpqua CC) who led his team to a victory with a double-double by scoring 13 points, 14 rebounds and 8 assists. Australian swingman Nick Marshall (198-1999, college: Clarke) contributed with 25 points and 7 rebounds for the winners. German center Till Gloger (204-1993, college: Maine) replied with 18 points and 9 rebounds for Bulls. Saints have a solid three-game winning streak. They keep a position of league leader. Bulls lost sixth consecutive game. They dropped to the seventh place with nine games lost. Both teams do not play next round, which will be an opportunity for some rest.
Important game to mention about took place in Pukekohe. Ninth ranked Tuatara (7-7) saved a 1-point victory on the road edging 6th ranked Bulls (8-9) 84-83 on Sunday evening. American guard Luther Muhammad (191-1999, college: Arizona St.) scored 29 points and 6 rebounds to lead the charge for the winners and Robert Loe chipped in 16 points and 9 rebounds during the contest. The best for the losing side was American guard Tae Hardy (190-1998, college: UTEP) with a double-double by scoring 19 points and 10 assists. Bulls' coach Sebastian Gleim rotated ten players in this game, but that didn't help. Tuatara moved-up to eighth place, which they share with Whai. Bulls lost sixth consecutive game. They dropped to the seventh position with nine games lost. Tuatara will play against Whai (#8) in Tauranga in the next round. Bulls will have a break next round.
Worth to mention about the upset in a game between Hawks (9-8) and Giants (4-10), which took place in Nelson. Higher ranked Hawks were outleveled in a road game by tenth ranked Giants 117-81 on Monday. Jeremy Combs notched 26 points, 6 rebounds and 6 assists to lead the effort. Even 24 points and 5 assists by Brandon Alston did not help to save the game for Hawks. The winner was already known earlier in the game, so both coaches allowed to play the bench players saving starting five for next games. Giants maintains tenth position with 4-10 record. Hawks at the other side keep the fourth place with eight games lost. Giants will meet at home higher ranked Jets (#3) in the next round and they do not belong to the favorites in that game. Hawks will play against the league's second-placed Rams where they are definitely not considered as a favorite in this game either.

In the last game of round 18 Airs were beaten by Sharks on the road 99-90.
The most impressive performance of 18th round was 19 points, 9 rebounds and 7 assists by Josiah Allick of Sharks.



Bulls - Tuatara 83-84

Important game to mention about took place in Pukekohe. Ninth ranked Tuatara (7-7) saved a 1-point victory on the road edging 6th ranked Bulls (8-9) 84-83 on Sunday evening. American guard Luther Muhammad (191-1999, college: Arizona St.) scored 29 points and 6 rebounds to lead the charge for the winners and the former international power forward Robert Loe (211-1991, college: St.Louis) chipped in 16 points and 9 rebounds during the contest. The best for the losing side was American guard Tae Hardy (190-1998, college: UTEP) with a double-double by scoring 19 points and 10 assists and the former international guard Tobias Cameron (196-1999, college: ACU) scored 21 points and 4 assists. Four Bulls players scored in double figures. Bulls' coach Sebastian Gleim rotated ten players in this game, but that didn't help. Tuatara moved-up to eighth place, which they share with Whai. Bulls lost sixth consecutive game. They dropped to the seventh position with nine games lost. Tuatara will play against Whai (#8) in Tauranga in the next round. Bulls will have a break next round.
Top scorers:
Tuatara: L.Muhammad 29+6reb+3ast, R.Loe 16+9reb+3ast, B.Tuach 9+3reb+3ast, T.Vodanovich 9+7reb+3ast, D.Fotu 8+8reb+2ast, D.Wilkie 6
Bulls: T.Cameron 21+4reb+4ast, T.Hardy 19+3reb+10ast, T.Gloger 16+2reb, J.Hunt 10+4reb+1ast, D.Okwera 7+8reb+1ast, M.Jones 7+4reb+2ast

Giants - Hawks 117-81

Worth to mention about the upset in a game between Hawks (9-8) and Giants (4-10), which took place in Nelson. Higher ranked Hawks were outleveled in a road game by tenth ranked Giants 117-81 on Monday. Giants dominated down low during the game scoring 72 of its points in the paint compared to Hawks' 36. They outrebounded Hawks 45-26 including a 36-23 advantage in defensive rebounds. Giants looked well-organized offensively handing out 25 assists. American power forward Jeremy Combs (201-1995, college: Texas Southern) notched 26 points, 6 rebounds and 6 assists to lead the effort and the other American import guard Andrew Jones (193-1997, college: Texas) supported him with 17 points and 8 rebounds. Even 24 points and 5 assists by American guard Brandon Alston (196-1995, college: Georgia Tech) did not help to save the game for Hawks. Australian swingman Daniel Grida (195-1998) added 22 points and 5 rebounds. Five Giants and four Hawks 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. Giants maintains tenth position with 4-10 record. Hawks at the other side keep the fourth place with eight games lost. Giants will meet at home higher ranked Jets (#3) in the next round and they do not belong to the favorites in that game. Hawks will play against the league's second-placed Rams where they are definitely not considered as a favorite in this game either.
Top scorers:
Giants: J.Combs 26+6reb+6ast, A.Robinson 18+3reb+4ast, A.Jones 17+8reb+3ast, H.Jones 15+6reb+3ast, C.McRae 13+7reb+5ast, L.Crate 11+3reb+1ast
Hawks: B.Alston 24+3reb+5ast, D.Grida 22+5reb+2ast, L.Yates 11+4reb+2ast, W.Swaka 10+9reb+2ast, K.Kara 6+3reb, J.Ball 5+2ast

Bulls - Saints 77-93

The game in Pukekohe was quite interesting. Second ranked Saints (12-4) played at the court of 6th ranked Bulls (8-9). Saints defeated Bulls 93-77 on Wednesday. Saints made 18-of-23 free shots (78.3 percent) during the game. It was a good game for the former international forward Hyrum Harris (204-1996, college: Umpqua CC) who led his team to a victory with a double-double by scoring 13 points, 14 rebounds and 8 assists. Australian swingman Nick Marshall (198-1999, college: Clarke) contributed with 25 points and 7 rebounds for the winners. Four Saints players scored in double figures. German center Till Gloger (204-1993, college: Maine) replied with 18 points and 9 rebounds and international guard Flynn Cameron (196-2000, college: UC Riverside) added 10 points and 10 rebounds in the effort for Bulls. Saints have a solid three-game winning streak. They keep a position of league leader. Bulls lost sixth consecutive game. They dropped to the seventh place with nine games lost. Both teams do not play next round, which will be an opportunity for some rest.
Top scorers:
Saints: N.Marshall 25+7reb+2ast, I.Le'afa 20+4reb+3ast, N.Muszynski 18+9reb+1ast, H.Harris 13+14reb+8ast, J.Ngatai 9+7reb+1ast, K.Evans Jr. 4+1ast
Bulls: T.Gloger 18+9reb+1ast, T.Cameron 12+3reb+4ast, F.Cameron 10+10reb+2ast, J.Hunt 9+4reb+2ast, T.Hardy 8+3reb+1ast, D.Okwera 7+2reb+3ast

Sharks - Airs 99-90

There was a surprise result when ninth ranked Sharks (8-8) beat higher ranked Airs (8-6) in Southland 99-90 on Thursday. Sharks made 29-of-37 free shots (78.4 percent) during the game. They looked well-organized offensively handing out 24 assists. Great defensive blocking was one of the keys in this match when Sharks made 7 blocks. American forward Keylan Boone (203-2000, college: UNLV, agency: Interperformances) notched 26 points and 7 rebounds to lead the effort and the other American import forward Josiah Allick (203-2001, college: Nebraska) supported him with 19 points, 9 rebounds and 7 assists. Even 26 points, 6 rebounds and 8 assists by Carlin Davison (197-2003) did not help to save the game for Airs. American Armon Fletcher (196-1995, college: SIU) added 12 points and 7 rebounds. Both teams had four players each who scored in double figures. Both coaches used bench players which allowed the starters a little rest for the next games. Sharks moved-up to sixth place. Loser Airs keep the fifth position with six games lost. Sharks will have a break next round, and it should allow them to practice more before next game. Airs will play against Nuggets (#11) in Dunedin and hope to secure a win.
Top scorers:
Sharks: K.Boone 26+7reb+2ast, C.Asberry 21+4reb+9ast, J.Allick 19+9reb+7ast, B.Inger 14+2reb+1ast, A.Burton 8+2reb+1ast, S.Timmins 7+8reb+2ast
Airs: C.Davison 26+6reb+8ast, D.Kelman-Poto 15+2reb, J.Gerrand 14+1reb, A.Fletcher 12+7reb+2ast, D.Dut 11+1reb+3ast, J.Andrew 8+7reb