Sharks' win over Hawks boosts morale

Southland Sharks coach Richard Dickel believes Friday night's victory over Hawke's Bay could serve as a turning point for their season.

After starting their NBL campaign with back-to-back losses, Southland desperately needed to pick up a win on the road in Napier to maintain touch with the top six and generate some confidence in the camp. The Sharks did just that, upsetting the Hawks 85-79. Dickel said it was a morale-boosting win for the team and he hoped they could build on that showing on their road trip to Wellington and Christchurch on Thursday and Friday.

"It shows us what we can do with a little bit of concentration," Dickel said.

"It shows we can win a game. Any win you can get on the road is a bonus. We need to keep improving."

Former Australian Boomer Luke Martin was one of the catalysts in the Sharks' win on Friday night, with the experienced point guard making an immediate impact and having a strong all-round game. United States import Rene Rougeau –who struggled in the Sharks' previous match against Hawke's Bay in week one, continued his steady development with a man-of-the-match effort, which pleased Dickel.

"He's a handful. He got a couple of key steals for us ... It's a totally different thing for him to what he was used to in college (in the US). The guy is still getting used to our structures and what he can and can't do."

Fellow American Mike Rose – who has been signed on a short-term basis only – was impressive again with 19 points and 11 rebounds, and Sharks officials must be seriously considering snapping him up for the rest of the season.

Although Dickel was rapt to get their first win in franchise history, he said the Sharks were still a long way away from where they wanted to be. "If we're going to beat teams at full strength, we're going to have to be a lot better than that."

Wellington and Christchurch had weekends to forget in the NBL, but Dickel expected them to be a completely different proposition on their home courts later in the week.

If Southland could pick up a win on that road trip it would put them in a excellent position, with eight out of nine matches to be played at Stadium Southland after that.

"I always thought if we could pick up one win from these first five games, I'd be happy," Dickel said. "If we can get two or three, I'd be ecstatic."

Southland's 2.13m centre Martin Iti missed the Hawke's Bay match with back spasms but Dickel was optimistic he would be back for the games later in the week. Vice-captain Ian Cathcart should also be able to train again fully this week after recovering from his calf injury.

WEEK 3

Thursday: Waikato 104 (Tony Ronaldson 28, Eric Devendorf 21), Christchurch 74 (Lionel Hopgood 15, Paora Winitana 15).
Friday: Southland 85 (Rene Rougeau 20, Mike Rose 19, Luke Martin 15), Hawke's Bay 79 (Ben Hill 16, Nat Connell 13); Harbour 115 (Corey Webster 25, Rick Rickert 22, Kavossy Franklin 22), Wellington 95 (Darryl Hudson 19, Erron Maxey 16); Taranaki 84 (Jack Leasure 30, Demarshay Johnson 17), Christchurch 62 (Lionel Hopgood 15, Paora Winitana 15); Nelson 92 (Michael Harrison 23, Phil Jones 18), Otago 60 (Antoine Tisby 28, Tayler Amaya 16).

NBL points after week three (Games in brackets): Waikato 6 (3), Harbour 6 (3), Nelson 6 (4), Hawke's Bay 4 (4), Wellington 4 (4), Christchurch 4 (5), Southland 2 (3), Taranaki 2 (3), Manawatu 0 (2), Otago 0 (3)

- © Fairfax NZ News

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