Mountain men cut down Cougars

ROBERT CHARLES/Taranaki Daily News

SOARING HIGH: Guard Jack Leasure scores over Christchurch Cougars player Adrian Taylor to help the Taranaki Mountain Airs to an 84-62 National Basketball League win in New Plymouth last night.

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The Taranaki Mountain Airs soared high last night and rediscovered winning form in the National Basketball League.

Riding on the back of a three-point wave from American Jack Leasure, the Mountain Airs ended a long drought to beat the Christchurch Cougars 84-62 at the TSB Stadium in New Plymouth.

Leasure bombed them from everywhere last night, sinking four from four in the first quarter and never let up on the trigger, finishing with seven from eight attempts to push his points tally to a game-high 30.

"I'll take that," he said afterwards. "The big guys did a good job at getting me open and my shooting reflects the effort from the team."

Leasure said hopefully the win would be the first of many. "It's good to get that one. The boys are feeling pretty good. It lifts the monkey off the back."

The Mountain Airs couldn't have wished for a better start.

Big man DeMarshay Johnson won the tip-off, with the ball snapped up by Leasure who immediately let fly with a three-point bomb which found nothing but net.

Soon after, Johnson climbed high for a two-handed dunk to give the Mountain Airs a 10-0 lead. The Cougars never recovered.

The key was finding space for Leasure, and his teammates gave him plenty. He holed four from four, a couple from more than a metre outside the circle, to help the home side to a 23-10 lead at the break.

While Leasure went one from two from the outside in the second quarter, the points kept on coming for the Mountain Airs and the home team went to the halftime break with a 42-28 cushion.

The second-half three-points included another two from Leasure and one each from Tim Cleaver and Tyrone Davey.

While Leasure stole the show, Davey impressed. He controlled the court well but, with teams likely to double-team Leasure, must start looking for the hoop more.

Johnson showed glimpses of form. He started strongly, but was strangely quiet in the second quarter and needs to be more physical going to the basket. Eight defensive rebounds were good, but one at the other end was poor.

The Cougars' shooting was poor, especially from the outside, with the three-point shooters managing only three from 23, compared to Taranaki's nine from 15.

The shooting under the basket was little better, with only 21 from 63, reflected in only two players managing to make it to double figures.

Scorers were: Taranaki Mountain Airs 84 (Jack Leasure 30, DeMarshay Johnson 17, Tyrone Davey 14, Aaron Bailey-Nowell 10) Christchurch Cougars 62 (Lionel Hopgood 15, Paora Winitana 15).

In the other games last night, the Nelson Giants defeated the Otago Nuggets 92-60 in Nelson, the Harbour Heat beat the Wellington Saints 115-95 on the North Shore and the Southland Sharks upset the Hawks 85-79 in Taradale.

- © Fairfax NZ News