Wynyard scores 33 points in last appearance before heading to Kentucky.
Having played his last game in a SKYCITY Breakers singlet on Friday night against Sydney Kings Tai Wynyard suited for one last time in a Breakers uniform on Saturday at Atlas Place. Continue reading
Milomilo Nanai (No12) and Zara Jillings (No6) will be in opposite camps for next week’s Mexicali Fresh Summer Jam Final
Team Sky were eventually too strong for The Suns prevailing 94-77 in the first of the Women’s Mexicali Fresh Summer Jam semi-finals at Atlas Place on Saturday. Continue reading
Competition high 49 points for Kevin Braswell
The individual performance of Round 6 of the Mexicali Fresh Summer Jam belonged to Kevin Braswell who sunk 49 points for the Birdmen in a 134-123 victory over the Mai88 Sixers. Continue reading
A competition high 45 points for Jordan Hunter
The Storm maintained their good form in the Mexicali Fresh Summer Jam with a round six victory against the Suns. Tall Ferns guard Jordan Hunter demonstrated her class scoring 45 points as the Storm prevailed 102-70.
After Hannah Turton had initiated the Storm’s scoring Hunter was quickly into her stride connecting with three triples in the opening quarter to give her team a 33-16 advantage at the end of the opening period.
The Suns had the better of the second quarter as Sharne Robati, (12 points in the half) and Kelcy Ballantyne executed well close to the basket and Claire McCurran and Tiarna Clarke found their range from beyond the three point arc. However when Milomilo Nanai converted a layup following an intercept on the final play of the half the Storm still held a 51-37 advantage.
Hunter reeled off 12 consecutive points for the Storm in the third quarter and although Mikayla Blair with a three and Rosie Davidson completed a transition basket to close the period the lead was a healthy 74-53 in favour of the league leaders.
The final period was one way traffic, Hunter finishing with a women’s competition high 45 points that included eight threes, the Storm easing to its fifth win of the season.
Final score;
Suns 70 – Robati 18, Clarke 12, Ballantyne 12.
Storm 102 – Hunter 45, Nanai 18, Mina Tamatoa 15, Turton 10.
Unfortunately the second game of the round between Team Sky and The Sparks was cancelled due to player unavailability.
Standings after 6 rounds:
Storm 5-1
Sky 3-2
Suns 3-3
Sparks 1-4
36 points for BJ Anthony in first Summer Jam outing
For the second consecutive week Tall Blacks point guard Lindsay Tait scored over thirty points. His haul helped pace 68NelsonStreet to a 128-116 victory against the Birdmen. Continue reading
Deena Franklins work under the boards was crucial in team Sky’s overtime win
Round five of the Mexicali Fresh Summer Jam women’s competition featured the game of the tournament to date as Team Sky prevailed in overtime against The Suns. Continue reading
Milomilo Nanai scored 20pts as the Storm move to 3-1
The first game of round four of the Mexicali Fresh Summer Jam women’s competition featured Team Sky and Storm.
The Jenkins sisters played prominent roles for their respective teams. Annabelle (19pts) top scored for team Sky whilst Tabatha had a useful 11 points for the Storm who went top of the table with an 82-73 victory.
Forwards Deena Franklin and Katelin Noyer made early scores for Sky but Jordan Hunter and Milomilo Nanai kept Storm in touch as they trailed 47-42 at half-time.
Storm took control of the game in the third stanza winning the period 23-10 as Nanai, Tabatha Jenkins, Kate Lacey and Hannah Turton all contributed to a healthy 65-57 three quarter time advantage.
Annabelle Jenkins scored 10 final quarter points for Sky but her efforts went unrewarded as Hunter countered with a couple of three’s to secure a third win for Storm.
Final score;
Sky 73 – A Jenkins 19, Franklin 16, Ayla Hoeta 10, Zara Jillings 10.
Storm 80 – Hunter 19, Nanai 19, T Jenkins 11, Turton 10.
The Sparks, bolstered by the transfer in of Breeze Leonard and the debuts of Anna Lacey and Cayla Cullen, were much more competitive in their encounter with the Suns having been well beaten in their previous two outings.
The scores were locked at 29 apiece at half-time, Sharne Pupuke-Robati leading the Suns effort and Hailey Purcell prominent for the Sparks.
The Suns edged to a 46-41 three-quarter time advantage although both teams struggled to find any offensive flow.
The Westlake pair of Rosie Davidson and Tiarna Clarke made important contributions down the stretch to maintain Sky’s advantage and they held on for a 70-61 victory despite a late flurry of threes from Purcell, Lacey and Aleesha Coulter.
Final score;
Sparks 61 – Purcell 12, Cullen 12, Georgia Perrott-Hunt 12.
Sky 70 – Clarke 18, Pupuke-Robati 11, Davidson 10, Sophie Bond 8.
Standings after 4 rounds:
Storm 3-1
Team Sky and The Suns 2-2
Sparks 1-3
Brook Ruscoe scored 32 points for the Birdmen
Kentucky University bound Tai Wynyard was unavailable for round four of the 2015 Mexicali Fresh Summer Jam due to a hamstring injury.
The Breakers Development team was also without Jordan Ngatai and forced to rely on a high school-aged team supplemented with the experience of Shea Ili and Finn Delany.
In contrast The Birdmen had a flock of talent including Kevin Braswell and former Tall Blacks Casey Frank, Brook Ruscoe and Josh Bloxham. Dan Fotu opened the scoring for the Breakers but as anticipated the Birdmen made a flying start leading 28-17 at quarter time on the back of enterprising play from Braswell and Ruscoe.
The Breakers bounced back strongly in the second period their efforts rewarded with a 64-63 half time advantage. Shea Ili led all scorers with 24 points at the break, Ruscoe and power forward Robson Tavita each had a dozen points for the Birdmen.
The Birdmen, eventually finishing with seven players in double figures, poured in 33 third quarter points to establish a 96-82 lead eventually cruising to a 130-109 win.
Delany, Ili, Fotu, Sam Waardenburg and Brayden Inger all had impressive moments but on this occasion could not match the guile and experience of the international contingent in the Birdmen line-up.
Final score;
Breakers Development 109–Ili 29, Delany 25, Fotu 19, Waardenburg 9, Inger 9.
The Birdmen 130 – Ruscoe 32, Braswell 25, Frank 15, Tavita 14, Bloxham 14.
The second fixture did not quite have the NBA scoring proportions of the first game but still provided plenty of entertainment for the onlookers as 68NelsonStreet held off Mai88 Sixers 108-102.
Tipene Friday and Derone Raukawa, both playing their first game of the season, made an early impression as the Sixers moved out to a 12-8 advantage before being reeled in to trail 30-24 at quarter time.
Ana Haku and Lindsay Tait combined to stretch the 68NelsonSt lead to 43-29 at the mid point of the second quarter before the ever reliable Hayden Allen and Houston O’Riley brought the Sixers right back into contention. Friday produced an athletic ring shuddering dunk and the scores were level, 60 points apiece.
Tait was relentlessly attacking the rim for NelsonSt as was Sam Aruwa and with Matt Lacey knocking down a couple of triples they held sway, 79-72 at three quarter time.
NelsonSt led throughout the final quarter but couldn’t ever sit comfortably on their lead as the Sixers stayed within single digit range. Raukawa knocked down a triple on the 3 minutes remaining mark before O’Riley and NesonSt’s Karl Noyer embarked on a personal shooting dual. O’Riley scored three consecutive triples and Noyer two plus a baseline drive to conclude an entertaining game.
Final score;
Mai88 Sixers 102 – Raukawa 25, Allen 22, Friday 18, O’Riley 16, Anthony Jones 11
68NelsonStreet 108 – Tait 38, Haku 21, Noyer 13, Lacey 12, Aruwa 10.
Standings after 4 rounds:
68 NelsonSt 3-1
Breakers development and The Birdmen 2-2
Mai88 Sixers 1-3
37 points from Zara Jillings including 6 threes
The Waikato sisters Charlisse and Krystal Leger-Walker debuted for opposing teams in the third round of the Mexicali Fresh Summer Jam. Continue reading
41 points from Kevin Braswell helps The Birdmen to a win.
Round three of the 2015 Mexicali Fresh Summer Jam opened with a full strength Breakers Development team carrying out a second half demolition of 68NelsonStreet winning 127-85. Continue reading
LACEY LOWDOWN 