It’s back with a bang.
The Gisborne Basketball Association club leagues tipped off at the YMCA and John McFarlane Memorial Sports Centre, Gisborne Boys’ High School last week in time-honoured, bump and pump style.
Of teams new to club basketball, Green Bean, Coastiieez and Waengapu Stallions are in the men’s premier grade while Non-ballers, Dreamers, 23K-Ballerz and In Living Colour are in the ladies’ competition.
The Rizzlies and Paikea Whalers have joined the men’s open league.
And with Week 2 of the ladies’ competition having played out overnight, the hectic flurry of the men’s premier league will resume tonight at the Sports Centre from 5.30pm.
O’Shae Rangihaeata led all scorers for Horouta Te Waka with 18 points in their 56-22 win against Uawa 2.0 in Game 1 on opening night at the YMCA last Monday. Jorjah Tuapawa topped Uawa’s list with five points.
In Game 2, Gisborne Girls’ High School’s zippy Riley Lews and tall left-hander Te Ohomauri Hailey both scored 13 points in a display of athleticism and finishing ability. Girls’ High beat the Non-ballers 54-31. Cassidy Beauchamp was the Non-ballers’ offensive spear with 10 points.
Defending champions Ngati Porou, who last year beat Team 2022 to claim their seventh title in nine years, were pressed hard in Game 3.
They beat the Dreamers 37-34 and again, Ata Mangu (14pts) and Bronya McMenamin were at the heart of the strong Ngati Porou match-effort.
But they copped a few knocks in the process. The Dreamers’ Ishtar Mackey-Huriwai refused to give Maia Rickard a lay-up, although Rickard scored on the breakaway to make it 11-6. Centre Jett Pohatu found Natalie Mackey with a brilliant assist on a top backdoor play for the Dreamers 25, Ngati Porou 16 in the third period.
Pohatu was a factor at both ends of the court.
Veteran Melissa Mackey-Huriwai gave a sage opinion on the outcome: “Our girls did well but Ngati Porou applied tough pressure-defence in the fourth quarter. We let them back into the game by not doing the same thing.”
In Living Colour came through the last game of the night with a 46-28 win against 23K-Ballerz.
Tall, strong Bridget Dick of In Living Colour, with 10 points, was the only scorer to put up double-figures in Game 4, but the Ballerz’ Materoa Poi made the three-point play of the night to make it 32-12. That Poi was able to complete it against a towering defensive player with tremendous reach was incredible.
Materoa Poi did make the three-point play of the night for 12-32. Poi completed it against Dyani Johnson, a towering defensive player with tremendous reach.
Ladies Championship — Uawa 2.0 22 (Jorjah Tuapawa 5, Summer Marama-Kingi 4, Zenda Moeke-Parkinson 4) Horouta 56 (O’Shae Rangihaeata 18, Kelly Wood 9, Courtney Stubbins 8). Q1 Horouta 12-5, HT 25-13, Q3 37-15.
Non-ballers 31 (Cassidy Beauchamp 10, Lischa-Rae Smith 5) Gisborne Girls’ High School 54 (Riley Lewis 13, Te Ohomauri Hailey 13, Ariana Kepa 6). Q1 Non-ballers 14-11, HT GGHS 27-18, Q3 42-25.
Ngāti Porou 37 (Ata Mangu 14, Tiara Weir 9, Bronya McMenamin 5) Dreamers 34 (Taimarie Matahiki 9, Te Atahuia Matahiki 6). Q1 Ngati Porou 8-6, HT Dreamers 18-13, Q3 Dreamers 29-19.
23K-Ballerz 28 (Teresa Nepe 7, Quan Maraki 6, Jayda Nepe 6) In Living Colour 46 (Bridget Dick 10, Amoe Wharehinga 9, Arie Aston 6, Mereono Rangihaeata 6). Q1 In Living Colour 15-5, HT 27-9, Q3 36-21.
On Tuesday, the men’s premier club league at the Sports Centre opened with a titanic offensive display by Ethan Ngarangione-Pearson of the Raiders.
He topped the lists for all three leagues in Week 1 with 31 points, including five three-pointers.
Ngarangione-Pearson “owned” a 59-47 win v the 2022 champions. He beat the first period buzzer with a lay-up for 11-14, the halftime buzzer with a fallaway jump shot to level it 30-30 and the three-quartertime buzzer with a thrilling finger-roll for 45-all.
Both teams parted like the Red Sea to allow him to end the game with a dunk shot.
Rongomai Smith (14), Carl Riini (10) and their City Lights captain Scott Muncaster (13) all started slowly but got better as they found their legs.
Basketball fans can expect them to bounce back hard v the Coastiieez at 6.30pm tonight.
Muncaster said: “We were a little bit rusty and couldn’t find the bottom of the basket in the fourth period. That was the ball game.”
Massive Marauders got up and down the floor in their first outing v Waengapu Stallions.
The Marauders’ 77-27 win rested on their height advantage and experience, which isn’t to say they weren’t creative in the process.
Stefan Pishief, at six foot seven inches —the tallest player in GBA club ball — made a three-point play against Stallions’ big man Harmony Kepa.
Guard Luke Bradley assisted teammate Daley in beating the quartertime buzzer 19-5.
Daley and Pishief each put up 19 points and quiet achiever Simon Wilson’s soft shooting touch from 12 feet produced 21, but Game 2 was not all one-way traffic.
Charlie Kepa of the Stallions was outstanding. In the second period, he stole the ball and then hit a fall-away jumpshot. Late in the game, he hit a trey from the left corner for 21-55.
Harmony Kepa’s defensive effort in the second half was enormous and Jesse Sweeney was heroic in his dive to save possession right side for Steiny Riwai (5). David Sweeney led the Stallions’ scorers with 13.
With the Gisborne Boys’ High School Senior A team at the Super 8 tournament in Napier, SE Systems did not play.
Week 1 of premier club ball ended with a big win to Green Bean over Coastiieez — 89-40.
Nuku Taylor (19) and Green Bean teammate Seth Miller (18) had the run of the floor in the open court — Miller making two three-point plays in the second period — while Coastiieez strongman James Walker (5) impressed around the rim. His crossover dribble in the lane and tough right-hand lay-up for 33-77 made an impression.
Walker’s body control extended to hauling in an outlet pass, stopping on the spot to score right-side of the hoop for 36-80. Perhaps that inspired his teammate Hanara Broederlow to achieve an incredible put-back (offensive rebound to score).
Men’s premier championship — Raiders 59 (Ethan Ngarangione-Pearson 31, Wi Brown 7) City Lights 47 (Rongomai Smith 14, Scott Muncaster 13, Carl Riini 10). Q1 City Lights 14-11, HT 30-30, Q3 45-45.
Massive Marauders 77 (Simon Wilson 21, Stefan Pishief 19, Daley Riri 19, Luke Bradley 8) Waengapu Stallions 27 (David Sweeney 13, Steiny Riwai 5 ). Q1 Massive Marauders 19-5, HT 35-9, Q3 55-18.
Green Bean 89 (Nuku Taylor 19, Seth Miller 18, Dom Wilson 11, Allies Rangihuna 8, Ngarangi Kahu 6) Coastieez 40 (Daniel Low 10, Mikaire Bell 8, Zyon Collins 6, James Walker 5). Q1 Green Bean 22-6, HT 45-15, Q3 71-23.
Friday night action in the men’s open grade at the Sports Centre was hard and fast.
The Setting Suns overpowered the feisty Gizzy Gilas 58-43 in a rousing Game 1 match-effort, with Mike King the tip of the sword.
Powerhouse King — capped 25 times for Ngāti Porou East Coast rugby — led all scorers in the early game with 15 points.
He opened their account with a free-throw and their first two field-goals. Similarly, Manny Boriga (6) made the Gilas’ first two baskets. His second field goal in that first period, for 4-9, was a delicious floater over the head of Arana Kuru.
The players from all 22 of the 24 teams who participated in Week 1 benefited from top refereeing. Where once an official might have missed a call early on in the game, Felix Sparks (who with Ethan Ngarangione-Pearson has been selected to blow his whistle at the Basketball New Zealand under-23 tournament on the North Shore from August 16-19) got Andy Javier for a foul on the Setting Suns’ Tawhiti Rehutai at 12-4 in the first period.
That call, for illegal use of the hands, can be contentious, as in this case, where Rehutai was attempting to put a “miss” back in the basket.
Kuru also made one of the night’s best plays in the fourth period when he drove to the hoop and dropped the ball back for Quentin Solomon to score at 32-14.
Ex-Rising Suns supremo Frank Russell has lost none of his passion.
Old Surfers’ supremo and Whittier, California native Russell was in fine voice courtside at the Sports Centre on Friday night.
It was a typical Old Surfers’ performance — excellent full-court pressure-defence, substituting five players on and off the floor to wear the opposition out and beat them in the fourth quarter,” Russell said. “We held Horouta to 29 points. You can’t fault Surfers’ team chemistry and commitment.”
Horouta beat the Surfers 29-28, the closest result of Week 1. It was an exciting clash from start to finish, with humour and quality.
A look of disbelief from Surfers’ defensive player and GBHS assistant principal Simon Murphy in the direction of the official on the baseline after Taylor Haenga bounced off him to score at 9-5 constituted a humorous aside.
GBHS deputy principal Graeme Newlands’ great steal and assist for Mercy Bristowe to score for 19-17 constituted the quality (and the Surfers’ first lead of what became a thriller).
Axel Campbell scored the match-winning basket for Horouta but Bjorn Raroa-Haraki was The Waka’s ace-scorer with 13 in a game they’ll never forget.
The Rizzlies beat Uawa 66-40 in Game 3, 25-year GBA club ball veteran Wayne Bartram, Ryland Bright and Juan Manuel Mary each putting up eight points in the win.
Keanu Reedy of Uawa matched their offensive output with eight points but Bartram made a remarkable jumphook for 27-20, and that sort of shot is hard to counter. Opposition who can conjure those up are hard to stop.
This Rizzlies captain Jorge Tofilau knows well.
“We had the edge in scoring and communicated on defence,” he said. “Our work-ons include the need to be more disciplined - we were getting into foul trouble.”
Genesis Bartlett-Tamatea scored 22 points in magnificent style to end Week 1.
Bartlett-Tamatea’s Paikea Whalers won Game 4, the 58-45 scoreline against Uawa AMP indicative of both teams’ liking for free-spirited play end to end.
He scored 15 of the Whalers’ 28 first-half points.
Kerehama Blackman of Uawa hit a three-pointer, a 20-foot shot, to get the second half going, and soon thereafter made four put-back attempts before scoring at 37-48. It was the most determined play of Week 1.
All 24 teams are on deck in Week 2.
Men’s open championship —Gizzy Gilas 58 (Edmundo Arlos 9, Phee Jay Lazo, Raymond Salvation 6, Manny Boriga 6) Setting Suns 43 (Mike King 15, Tawhiti Rehutai 9, Matt Tong 8). Q1 15-6, HT 28-10, Q3 41-28.
Old Surfers 28 (Ben Payne 10, Matt Mackle 4, Sam Crosby 4) Horouta 29 (Bjorn Raroa Haraki 13, Hone Waitoa 4). Q1 Horouta 7-5, HT 16-9, Q3 Old Surfers 23-17.
Uawa 40 (Keanu Reedy 8, James Aston 6) Rizzlies 66 (Wayne Bartram 8, Ryland Bright 8, Juan Manuel Mary 8, Jorje Tofilau 6). Q1 Rizzlies 9-4, HT 29-20, Q3 49-26.
Paikea Whalers 58 (Genesis Bartlett-Tamatea 22, Dom Wilson 22, Kelly Rangihuna 6) Uawa AMP 45 (Kerehama Blackman 12, Paddy Blackman 10, Costa Blackman 10). Q1 Paikea Whalers 17-8, HT 28-17, Q3 40-27).