Sharks get 1st win, Taranaki end losing streak

The Southland Sharks recorded the franchise's first-ever win, while the Taranaki Mountain Airs ended an 18-game losing streak on a Friday night of momentous wins in the National Basketball League.

Helped by 20 points from import Rene Rougeau and captain and point guard Luke Martin suiting up in his first game, the Sharks defeated the Bay Hawks 85-79 in hostile Napier, while the Mountain Airs got a lead early and never gave it up as they beat the Christchurch Cougars at home in New Plymouth 82-62.

In other games around the league, the Harbour Heat joined the Waikato Pistons at 3-0 with a 115-95 home win over the Wellington Saints, while the Nelson Giants were too strong at home for the Otago Nuggets, winning 92-60.

Martin, who missed Southland's opening two games due to his commitments with the Wollongong Hawks in the Australian NBL, scored an efficient 15 points, also dishing six assists, while his back-court partner import Mike Rose totalled 19 points and 11 rebounds.

The first quarter was tight in Napier, with Hawks guard Everard Bartlett (11 points) scoring seven in the period. But import guard Mike Rose (19 pts, 11 reb) kept the Sharks in the game scoring eight, leaving the Hawks up 24-20 after the first.

The Hawks came out firing in the second thanks to two threes to begin the quarter by Ben Hill (16 pts) and Chris Daniel.

But the Sharks came right back going on a 7-0 run and eventually gained a lead when Martin hit back-to-back threes giving the roadsters a six-point lead.

After the half, the Sharks led by as many as six points, but they could not put away the home team, with both teams shooting 43.6 percent in the third quarter.

In the fourth, the Sharks tightened up defensively forcing the Hawks to shoot 36.4% from the field in the final quarter and a Martin layup with 3.34 min remaining gave the Sharks a ten point lead which all but seemed over.

But the Hawks had other ideas going on a 9-0 run only down one thanks to a Hill three with two minutes remaining.

The dream all looked but over for the Sharks, however they hung on thanks to a three pointer made by Daniel Munday. The Hawks fouled but they fouled the wrong man, Martin icing three free throws to win the game.

In New Plymouth, Taranaki import Jack Leasure scored 30 points (11/17 FG, 7/8 3pt) and Demarshay Johnson had 17 points and nine rebounds as the Mountain Airs ended a losing streak that stretched back to the final week of the 2008 regular season.

The Airs started the opening quarter strong beginning the game on a 10-0 run, Leasure hitting three treys to give the Airs a 23-9 lead at the end of the first. The Cougars struggled, turning the ball over five times and shooting it at a low 16.7 percent for the quarter.

Taranaki grew the lead to as many as 20 points in the second period before a late flurry by the Cougars cut it to 14 to end the half.

Leasure continued to score freely in the third and the Airs picked the lead back up to 19 points, but Cougars guard Paora Winitana (15 pts) cut the Airs lead to 11, giving the Cougars an opportunity to make a run for the win in the fourth.

Where before they had failed to close out games in the fourth, the Airs started the final period on a 16-4 run to put the result out of doubt.

Despite being without forward Dillon Boucher, the Heat were too strong for the Saints at the North Shore Events Centre, with four players scoring over 20 points - Corey Webster 25, Rick Rickert 22, Kavossy Franklin 22 and BJ Anthony 22. Rickert was by far the most dominant player on court, matching his point total with rebounds.

For the Saints, Darryl Hudson top-scored with 19 points, while Leon Henry, Nick Horvath and Erron Maxey all had 16.

In Nelson, the Giants cruised to a 92-60 win over the Nuggets with import centre Michael Harrison providing 23 points and 10 rebounds. Again Antoine Tisby top-scored for the Nuggets with 28 and fellow import Tyler Amaya had 16, but the rest of the team combined for a measly 16 points.

- © Fairfax NZ News