Sunday 28th August

Club Basketball   by Bruce Martin

Checkers, led by polished 34 points from Tall Black Ethan Rusbatch repulsed two last quarter fight backs from Hoban trophy winner Pioneer to sneak home 91-89 in a close Men’s Premier basketball championship Quarter-final encounter played in Cowles stadium on Saturday.

Long term champion Atami bowed out of club basketball for this season but not before giving hot favourite Gators a strong run. The powerful Gators included former Tall Black Jeremy Kench (14), Rams Marques Whippy (23) and Inga Solofuti (10) along with a giant American Stephen Nosworthy with 12 points while Cam Chalmers worked diligently for his 18 points. Atami with Taranaki Mountain Airs Derek Albertson (30) leading the charge kept in touch for most of the game and only succumbed 81-63 in the fourth quarter. The game could well have seen the end of two decades of Premier club basketball for the two Atami stalwarts, brothers Scott and Ritchie Howell, after they had to be coaxed into playing again this season. Scott finished the season with 10 points while Ritchie slotted a hard-earned 11 to finish their season.

Atami led 20-19 at the first break, and Gators nudged ahead 38-37 by half-time. Atami were still intouch, only trailing 53-59 by the third break when the flood gates opened for Gators outscoring Atami 22-10.

Lincoln University kept its dream of a Men’s and Women’s Premier/MU23 triple alive as it defeated a depleted defending champion Wolverines side 78-65. The students got out to a healthy lead, but had to battle foul trouble on two starters, Ram Xavier Shaw and James Cawthorn. Ben Williams (22) was huge, hitting two straight threes in the final quarter (5/7 overall from deep) to thwart any realistic Wolverines comeback. Mike Kinley toiled long and hard for Wolverines with 18 points and Kieran Ball worked hard on defence grabbing 10 rebounds but was shut out at the scoring end.

The Pioneer/Checkers game was played with intensity the whole game with three techs handed out. Pioneer were unlucky with former Canterbury Ram Marty Davison being a standout with 30 points. Unfortunately, Oli Davies, 22 points on top of 31 for his U23 team, suffered severe cramps late in the game which forced him to leave the court while an ankle injury meant sharp shooter and playmaker Cam Costley (5) played little part in troubling the Checkers scorers. Pip Johnston with 11 and seven rebounds along with former Ram Nat Connell (12) played key roles in feeding the unstoppable Rusbatch.

Checkers biggest lead was 60-50 at half-time. In the final quarter Pioneer grabbed the lead at 84-82 and again 89-88 but couldn’t sustain the pressure.

However, Hoban trophy winner Pioneer lives to fight another day going through to the semi’s on September 10^th as the highest placed loser but will be face the highly favoured Gators looking for their first Championship while Lincoln University will meet 2011, 2012  and 2014 champion Checkers.

 

Lincoln University again showed its class and hot favouritism to regain the Women’s Premiership it won in 2014 when it demolished a lack-lustre Minties 62-18 in a one-sided 1 v 6 quarter-final.

The Pioneer women gave its best shot of qualifying when it came back in the final quarter, levelling 49-49 against second placed qualifier Halswell but Halswell, led by a polished 26 points from Junior Tall Fern, Esra McGoldrick escaped to win the encounter 61-54.

The late game saw a point for point evenly matched game between the long term defending champion University (ten Grand Finals appearances since 2006) and second year North Canterbury. Two experienced veterans for University, Pip Connell and Rosanna Katene, each slotted 12 points while North Canterbury were down key players with Mary Goulding having left for Fordham University in the States and guard Emily Baker nursing an injured arm. It was Katene’s late basket and another free throw that sealed the game 68-64 for University but not before North Canterbury had their chances, having come from a 45-49 defecit at three-quarter time to twice level the match in the closing stages at 59-59 and 64-64. Alas, missed vital shots and passes cost North Canterbury dearly in the closing moments. North Canterbury was again led by Wildcat and coach Hayley Gray (18) and Tactix Netballer Gemma Hazeldine also contributed 18 while Junior Tall Fern Charlotte Whittaker chimed in with a handy 11 points.

In the play-off for seventh place Gators Women raced away with a strong final quarter to beat the luckless Wolverines 72-55 after the new entrant came back to trail 42-49 at three-quarter-time.

North Canterbury will now have to pull out all stops in the semi-final on September 10^th as it now has to meet the hot favourite and unbeaten Lincoln University while Halswell and University battle out the other semi-final.

 

Lincoln University Bulls is on target to capture its third successive championship in the Men’s Under 23. James Cawthorn was in unstoppable fashion as he sunk 33 points and nine rebounds with back up from Ben Williams (17) and Nick Erwood (13-20R) as they outpointed a strong challenge from Gators Green 85-74. Lincoln Bulls has not been beaten since the 2014 Grand final and has selected to play Checkers in the semi-final on September 10^th.

The other semi sees University A clash again with Pioneer Yellow after Pioneer Yellow pipped University 102-100 but not before University came back from 13 points down (58-71) to level the encounter 96-96. Josh Petermann (37) and Paul Stephensen (31) stood out for the students while Oli Davies hustled well for his 31 points for Pioneer and Harley Campbell was strong with 24 points.

 

Results were:

Men's Premier Championship Quarter-finals:

Gators 81 (Marques Whippy 23, Cam Chalmers 18, Jeremy Kench 14, Stephen Nosworthy 12, Inga Solofuti 10) def Atami 63 (Derek Albertson 30, Ritchie Howell 11, Scott Howell 10). HT: 38-37, Lincoln University 78 (Ben Williams 22, James Levings 14, 7R, Ben Bowie 13, 11R, James Cawthorn 10, 8R) def Wolverines 65 (Mike Kinley 18, Nick Adcock 10). HT: 43-29, Checkers 91 (Ethan Rusbatch 34, 9R, Pip Johnston 11, Nat Connell 10, 12R) def Pioneer Pacers 89 (Marty Davison 30, Oli Davies 22, Ariel Mepana 17, 8R). HT: 60-50. University 7^th Place: Bye. Semi-finals September 10^th: Gators v Pioneer, Lincoln University v Checkers.

 

Women’s Premier Championship Quarter-finals:

Lincoln University 62 (Shea Crotty 15, Courtney Hamblin 13, Fran Edmonson 11) def Minties 18 (Natasha Van Vuuren 4, Marinda Van Vuuren 4, Tessa Te Kahu 4). HT: 27-7, University 68 (Pip Connell 12, Rosanna Katene 12) def North Canterbury 64 (Hayley Gray 18, Gemma Hazeldine 18, Charlotte Whittaker 11). HT:32-32, Halswell 61 (Esra McGoldrick 26, Terai Sadler 11) def Pioneer 54 (Ashley Gayle 30). HT: 30-20. Play-off 7^th place: Gators 72 (Tsubasa Nisbett 22, Paige William 20, Harriet Fenwick 17) Wolverines 55 (Kendal Hastie 15, Samaria Thompson 14). HT: 30-22. Semi-finals September 10^th: Lincoln University v North Canterbury, Halswell v University Canterbury.

Men’s Under 23 Top six:

Lincoln Bulls 85 (James Cawthorn 33, 9R, Ben Williams 17, Nick Erwood 13, 20R) def Gators Green 74 (Tarapi Neilson 20, 9R, Liam Mulvihille 15), Semi-final September 10^th Lincoln University Bulls selected to play Checkers, Pioneer Yellow plays University A.