PNBHS NEWS

Super 8 Basketball Tournament report from Day One

 
Picture of Sally Wenham
Super 8 Basketball Tournament report from Day One
by Sally Wenham - Tuesday, 3 August 2021, 9:17 AM
 

PNBHS Premier A Basketball vs Tauranga Boys’ College Premier

Our first game at Super 8, in Hamilton, was against one of the favourites to take out the competition. Tauranga are undefeated so far this year, so we knew we were having to bring our best.

The game didn’t get off to the start we were hoping for. We were slow out of the blocks and Tauranga didn’t take long to start punishing us with their offence. Their shooting was on point, and we were giving them all the room they wanted. Before long, we were down 12-0. We called a time-out to regroup and remind ourselves that we had the skills. We were lacking confidence and forgetting that we could deal it to them as good as they were handing it to us.

The time-out was perfectly timed. It was the reset we needed. Captain, Campbell Woolley hit a perfect boundary shot, putting our first points on the board. Kaleb McDonald added two more with an assertive drive to the hoop. Soon after, he shot two more after drawing a foul. The game was being played at an intense speed, and there was no indication of either side letting up.
Cooper Ohlson made his presence felt and his purposeful drives were noticed as he put up two quick baskets and added one more with a foul. Tauranga at this time were still up 17 -15, but they now had one heck of a game on their hands. With only a couple of minutes left in the quarter, Tauranga chipped away with another layup and a few free throws. Spectators in both camps (online and in the grandstand) sitting on the edge of their seats as our boys stepped things up another notch. Dane Bertinshaw found his sweet spot by hitting not one, not two, but three consecutive boundary shots to bring the score at the end of the quarter 24-22 to PNBHS.

The boys were pumped, and their confidence returned, but the opposition camp looked to be resetting. The second quarter did not start well for us. In fact, it was this quarter that would eventually cost us a huge upset at this stage of the tournament. Tauranga came out with such tight defence that our boys took a few minutes to put up any points. Tauranga, on the other hand, were hitting their fair share of boundaries, and breaking through our defence with some classy footwork and great layups. We were only able to add 6 points onto our score that quarter, 4 of them from Cooper and 2 from Ezra Davis, who found great heights to secure the ball, while Tauranga added a further 25, ending the quarter 30-47 down.

It was crucial going into the second half that our boys didn’t feel like the game was falling away. We had to keep our heads up and show what we are capable of. The boys were determined. They had each other’s backs and wanted to shake the hurt of the second quarter off. Tauranga were now well on the front foot, so it was going to be a big ask. We asked and the boys delivered a steady, ‘chip away’ at the score in the third. Tauranga added a further 18 to their score, while we replied with an impressive 27, to close the gap going into the final quarter, down 65-57. Points scored by Kairangi, Griff, Kaleb, Campbell, Dane, Muraki, Kalem and Cooper.

We were still in it, but there was 10 minutes’ worth of hard work to be done. The boys were determined, but Tauranga was also hell-bent on holding on to their lead. Every point we scored this quarter, Tauranga added the same. The gap wasn’t closing until about halfway through the quarter when Dane and Kairangi both hit a boundary shot and we got within 6 points. From then on, the shots just weren’t finding their target, or Tauranga replied just as quickly.

The boys battled hard until the end with a performance we can all feel proud of. The game was a great spectacle worthy of a watch. Unfortunately, we just couldn’t come up trumps with a deficit of 11, the final score 76-87 to Tauranga.

PNBHS Premier A Basketball vs Napier Boys’ High School Premier

Our second game of the day was one where both teams had everything to prove. Napier beat PNBHS earlier in the season on their home turf, but we beat them on our home turf at the Polson Banner Exchange. Here we were on neutral turf with everything to play for.

Earlier in the day, Napier beat their local rivals, Hastings. They were looking confident, and we knew they were going to make this game a battle and a half. We were desperate for the win, having lost our first game but we had to keep our heads calm and focused on the job ahead.

The first quarter was played at a fierce pace. Neither team was giving anything, and it took a couple of minutes before any points were put on the board. As if almost a repeat of the first game, Campbell put up the first points with a rebound shot. Napier quickly replied and both teams were neck and neck - continuing this way for the entire quarter, finishing at 15-15. Points scored by Campbell, Griff, Kaleb, Kairangi, Kalem and Maraki.

We don’t know what it was today with the second quarter, but they were just not our cup of tea today. The ball wasn’t finding its target, despite our boys sending the message loud and clear, only to be denied. Napier, on the other hand, were having more luck in that regard, soon taking the lead, and finishing the quarter up 28 – 24. Our points this quarter (9 of them) went to Campbell, Maraki and Kalem.

We needed a strong third quarter. We had to watch our feet – far too many calls for travelling, and we had to be more assertive on offence while putting Napier under more pressure. Our online supporters must have sore thumbs because at this point of the game messages were coming thick and fast. (The Gifs spoke volumes!)

The boys didn’t take long to kick into gear. They increased the intensity and became more purposeful and accurate in their execution on defence as well as offence. PNBHS conceded 14 points this quarter while adding 20 points on our side of the scoreboard to go into the final up by 2 points, 44-42.

We couldn’t afford to take the foot off the pedal now. It was all or nothing. Leave it all out on the court. This was our final opportunity. In short, we did just that. We applied pressure to Napier in a way that they found difficult to find any answers to. They managed to add a further 14 points to finish on 56, while our boys found their rhythm, adding an impressive 29 points, to end the game 73 – 56 for the win.

On Tuesday morning at 9 am, we play Hastings, in a must-win game to finish second in our pool.

Good luck for this mornings game, tune in and watch live at Sideline.Live https://sideline.live/play/15650

Thank you to our Premier A Basketball Sponsors