Game Recap: Elimination Final v Whai
- 5 days ago
- 2 min read
Result: SBS Bank Southland Sharks (96) defeat the Northern Group Tauranga Whai (81)
Three would rain down for the Whai to begin the first quarter. Reuben Te Rangi, Taine Murray and Nick Stoddart would get great looks from 3 and stun the Sharks early as the visiting side would take an early 10 point lead. The Sharks, usually ever so careful with the ball, would be sloppy with the ball, causing turnovers that would hurt their chances of keeping it close initially. Reuben Te Rangi would show his scoring prowess as he'd make buckets all over the court. Ever so vigilant inside, the Whai offence would create space for Reuben to work, and he'd punish the Sharks for doing so. On the other side of the floor, the Sharks would give plenty of looks to Sam Timmins as the captain would lead the team in scoring to start off.
At the half, it'd be a story of possessions. The Whai would have plenty more shot attempts as their turnover differential showed the care they had with the ball. 11 TOs for the Sharks to only 4 from the Whai would result in 10+ FGA for the visitors. The second half, the story would flip. The Sharks came out of the locker room unfazed by a double digit deficit. It'd be the imports for the Sharks to breath life back into a quiet ILT Stadium. Boone would hit back-to-back triples to close the gap to only 4, in which the crowd would become their sixth man once again. The energy carried through to the Sharks as Caleb Asberry started calling his own number.
After shooting 2-3 in the first half, the MVP candidate would drive to the bucket and convert more times than he missed. It'd be an efficient game for (one of the) Sharks' stars as he'd shoot 81% from the field. His only 2 misses coming from outside the arc. For Boone, he'd shoot the lights out too. He'd finish the contest with 6 3PM. Knocking down more 3's than the Whai would following their electric 1st quarter shooting. For the Whai, they'd unfortunately let the game slip. After making 5 3's in the first quarter, the well would dry. They'd only make 4 the rest of the game as the combo of Te Rangi and Murray weren't able to convert. The scoreline shows a dominant win for the Sharks, but it fails to show the incredible first half the Whai would put up.
Leading Players: SBS Bank Southland Sharks: Keylan Boone (28p, 10r, 2s), Caleb Asberry (24p, 2r, 2a), Sam Timmins (18p, 10r, 2a, 2s, 1b), Rylan Jones (11p, 5r, 10a)
Northern Group Tauranga Whai: Reuben Te Rangi (26p, 6r, 4a), Taine Murray (20p, 6r, 4a), Nick Stoddart (16p, 2r, 4a, 3s)
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