The Taylor Hawke's Bay Hawks put together the hottest shooting passage of the season in their clash with the SIT Zero Fees Southland Sharks, taking down the home side 97-71.
Thirty-seven first quarter points from the Hawks was the beginning of the end for the Sharks, who despite trying their utmost to scramble into place were no match for the plethora of shooters spacing the floor.
The scoring load was evenly spread among the Hawks starters and to make matters worse, the game-high for points was snatched up by Jordan Hunt who entered proceedings from the pine.
Josh Cunningham scored his team's second basket roughly three minutes into the game making the score 4-7, but his side would then go scoreless for the next three minutes while the visitors tacked on 17 more. The hosts added 11 to their cause before the quarter's end, but the Hawks also bumped their total by 13.
Play wasn't much prettier for the Sharks faithful in the second as their team's offence continued to put the ball through the cylinder. Meanwhile, the Hawks were making it look easy when in possession and ended the half 63-35 ahead.
The near thirty-point buffer was a factor in the Hawks appearing to take their foot off the gas and do what was needed to make sure the Sharks were kept at a distance.
Southland Sharks (71) lost to Hawke's Bay Hawks (97) - BOXSCORE
Sharks: Dom Kelman-Poto (27pts & 4rbs), Josh Cunningham (13pts & 8rbs), Brayden Inger (10pts & 4rbs).
Hawks: Jordan Hunt (21pts & 4ast), Devondrick Walker (17pts & 4rbs), Rhys Vague (12pts & 8rbs).
Game Highlights
1. The Hawks were hot out of the blocks and torched the Sharks with a season-high 37 points in the opening quarter. The sort of shooting seen this afternoon would've been near impossible for anyone to stop.
2. It was a tough day at the Tank for the Sharks, where an ice-cold first quarter coupled with an in-sync Hawks unit put them in deep hole. They'll need to shake today off if they're wanting to take greater confidence into the postseason.
3. The Hawks would've been kicking themselves after giving up last week's game to the Saints but have bounced back quickly and in great fashion. When everyone gets involved like they did and have done so before, it's hard to bet against them.
Stuff MVP Votes
Jordan Hunt (Hawks) - 10
Hyrum Harris (Hawks) - 8
Dom Kelman-Poto (Sharks) - 5
Josh Cunningham (Sharks) -2
