The Harbour Heat maintained their perfect start to the Bartercard National Basketball League season with an 83-79 victory over championship contenders the Nelson Giants at the North Shore Events Centre tonight.

This was always going to be an arm wrestle and a game of high quality match ups with the Giants bringing Phil Jones, Mika Vukona and Daryl Jones north to contend with the likes of Webster, Boucher and Rickert but in the end it was the home side who had the heart for the fight.

The Giants started well though, leading at the first quarter break by 7 thanks to a hot start from Jones and Vukona and an unusually quiet beginning from Webster and Franklin. But an unanswered 6 point run for the Heat closed the game up again and brought an enthusiastic crowd into the game.

Despite shooting only 2 three pointers all night, the Heat stayed in the contest thanks to forcing a number of turnovers from the Giants at crucial times. There was just one point in it at the half in favour of the Heat and two at three quarter time to the Giants as the game see sawed one way then the other.

But down the stretch it was the experience of Boucher, Daryl Cartwright and the inside presence of Rickert that proved pivotal, one big play from Rickert in particular sucking the energy from the Giants as he converted a three point play when drawing a foul under the basket from Giants import Michael Harrison.

If there was a difference between the two sides it was again the ability of Judd Flavell to get the best from a deep bench as his support players outscored the Giants 16 to 3, led by the evergreen Cartwright with 10 points and 6 big boards.

Flavell was delighted with the win but knows a tough away stretch now lies ahead.

“We have just about won every way we can this season already. Tonight was about playing some great defence and shutting down Phill Jones after a hot start and staying calm when in possession. I was pleased with the passion we showed out there tonight, on a couple of occasions the game looked like slipping away but we hung tough and got the job done. We knew this would be a test and the Giants gave us all of that and more, this proves we can be in a grind and come out on top.

”Now we hit the road after five home games and don’t return for a month but this will equally help us gel as a unit. There is nothing like a road trip and a few away crowds to bring you together, we must keep improving and show we can contend away from the North Shore too. We will grow as a group over the next few weeks and build further on what has been a good start.”

Harbour Heat 83

BJ Anthony 16, Corey Webster 16, Rick Rickert 15, Kavossy Franklin 15

Nelson Giants 79

Phill Jones 25, Mika Vukona 19, Michael Harrison 16

Box score will be available at www.basketball.org.nz

Next home game

Harbour Heat v Waikato Pistons

May 8^th

7pm tip off

Events Centre