Bombs away on ‘Trey Tuesday’

Week 2 of the men’s premier basketball league was mind-boggling stuff.

A raft of the Gisborne Basketball Association’s best three-point shooters drew a bead and hit the target on a Tuesday night to remember.

Weighn Wilson hit four of Green Bean’s eight treys in a 102-24 win against the Waengapu Stallions and 6ft 6in Cody Tarei knocked down three of the same as his Gisborne Boys’ High School made nine overall to sink the Massive Marauders 68-55. Neither the Stallions nor the Marauders hit a three.

Big man Ryan Walters cleared his guns for all but two of City Lights’ five three-pointers in an 89-43 bombing of Coastiieez, for whom Chase Smith fired up just the once.

All of this served as an appetiser.

Ethan Ngarangione-Pearson, the Raiders’ hero of heroes in Week 1, hit five of the best (his team dropped nine) in what by Game 4’s end was a close-run thing.

Raiders won 77-70 but not before Keenan Ruru-Poharama hit seven of SE Systems’ 11 treys – four in the last period – to reel them back from 64-42.

All up, a remarkable 42 three-point shots fell in Week 2 at the John McFarlane Memorial Sports Centre at Gisborne Boys’ High School.

The opener on Tuesday was a free-wheeling, end to end affair.

Wilson christened the scoreboard with a long jump-shot. His opponents showed spirit, and none more so than Henry Kepa, who cut from the left to the ring to score for Waengapu Stallions 4, Green Bean 16.

Stallions captain David Sweeney epitomised their defensive effort with a great steal from Dom Wilson. With one second to play in the first period, Jesse Sweeney supplied a comedic touch and knockabout finish with a dribble-drive and bump into Seth Miller. He made the “floater” to close it to 26-6.

But nothing slowed down Green Bean. Wilson made a superb lay-up to get things moving in the second quarter, and he then revealed a second string to his bow in the form of a top assist to Kiwa Ria.

Ria and Miller both put up 19 and Wilson 18 in what might read on the scoresheet as a rout but in fact was a keen contest. Wilson sent his crew into the last break with a three-pointer from the top of the key. Teammate Ainsley Waititi-Leach made a three-point play against Dylan Akurangi for 77-20. The fourth period was more of the same willing stuff.

Game 2 was a gloves-off clash.

Gisborne Boys’ High School beat the Massive Marauders 68-55, refusing to take a backward step throughout. Club ball does not exist to warm up young players for tournament play and proud veterans such as the Marauders, when roused, will lift. And they did.

Marauders’ point guard Luke Bradley (15pts) made a scoop-shot in the first period but once the youngsters got in front, they fair flew. The follow-up to Ngaru Grayson’s trey was Tarei running the floor for 14-11 and Boys’ High Super 8 tourney skipper Felix Sparks’s quartertime buzzer-beating 30-foot shot.

The second period began with Qkylau Leach hitting two early treys and then TK Wirepa-Hei making a third. This death from above rocked the Marauders, but drew the best out of their captain, Adam Harford.

Harford was magnificent for 19 points. Lead referee Clifton Blumfield put him at the free-throw line to complete a three-point play against Grayson when Boys’ High led 49-36. He couldn’t make the foul-shot, but two offensive rebounds later scored off a third put-back attempt.

It was inspirational stuff. Soon thereafter Marauders guard Simon Wilson led the fast-break and Douglas Jones finished the play to close it to 63-53, then Daley Riri drove to the ring 63-55. Enacting stern measures, former Rising Sun Anton Riri made Gisborne Boys’ High earn every point they scored – right down to Tarei’s 35-foot afterthought for 68-55.

City Lights were never going to take a loss on opening night lying down.

And their follow-up to the 59-47 defeat by the Raiders last Tuesday was what might have been expected: an 89-43 win against the Coastiieez.

Ryan Walters of City Lights led all scorers in Game 3 with 30 points. Among his teammates, the hard-running Zade Donner (19pts) and deceptive, effective Joseph Te Maari (13) were also in form. Reg Namana took the court at the start of the second period. The former second-division All Star’s height and nous could prove to be great assets in his new club’s campaign to win back-to-back premier titles.

Namana cut to the basket for a lay-up courtesy of Walters’ assist at 27-6 and in similar vein gave a pass to Te Maari for 37-15.

Coastiieez forward James Walker made a strong move inside the key to close it to 59-26, but Walters and co would not be distracted: Walters hit a trey from the right corner to beat the buzzer at three-quartertime for 66-33.

City Lights captain Scott Muncaster (10) hit a three-pointer from the left corner and later from deep up top in the fourth period. His late burst even extended to beating Zyon Collins down the middle on a three-point play for 89-41. The trail official in position to make that excellent call was Ethan Ngarangione-Pearson.

How does he do it?

Exactly how 18-year-old arborist Ngarangione-Pearson of the Raiders found sufficient energy to keep up, whistle in mouth, with men’s premier defending champions City Lights and to then (for the second week in a row) trump all other scorers, is no ordinary question.

The Raiders beat SE Systems 77-70 in something more than just a shoot-’em-up cowboy nightcap.

Keenan Ruru-Poharama got into great shooting rhythm for SES very early and drilled seven three-pointers to keep them in the game down the home stretch.

The late game has always featured memorable moments.

On Tuesday, those ran the gamut from Raiders’ skipper Willie Brown’s 30-footer to end the first period, Systems’ Adrian Peachey’s soft shooting touch from the left baseline and Ruru-Poharama’s length-of-the-court assist to league legend and Systems captain Adrian Sparks to close it to 73-53.

Sparks finished the play with a jump-hook, enjoyed a mock battle with talented Raiders big man Haeora Kerekere-Puke up and down the court, and even hit a three-point shot off the window from the left corner to end the night.

It was only Sparks’s third trey since joining the legendary X-men in 1996, and his second buzzer-beater in 27 years.

The first came courtesy of a Harley Phillips assist against the previously unbeaten Green Up on June 1, 2021: it was an eight-foot shot,  banked off the square, with three seconds left to play for 53-52.

Men’s premier championship, Week 2 —

GREEN BEAN 102 (Kiwa Ria 19, Seth Miller 19, Weighn Wilson 18, Allies Rangihuna 16, Dom Wilson 11, Nuku Taylor 9) WAENGAPU STALLIONS 24 (Jesse Sweeney 4, David Sweeney 4, Charlie Kepa 4, Manu Jones 4, Kalais Jury 4). Q1 Green Bean 26-6, HT 57-10, Q3 76-18.

GISBORNE BOYS’ HIGH SCHOOL 68 (Cody Tarei 16, Ngaru Grayson 15, William Collier 10) MASSIVE MARAUDERS 55 (Adam Harford 19, Luke Bradley 15, Daley Riri 7). Q1 GBHS 17-11, HT 40-24, Q3 52-48.

CITY LIGHTS 89 (Ryan Walters 30, Zade Donner 19, Joseph Te Maari 14, Carl Riini 8) COASTIIEEZ 43 (Mikaire Bell 15, James Walker 8, Phats Takarangi 6). Q1 City Lights 25-4, HT 41-17, Q3 66-33).

RAIDERS 77 (Ethan Ngarangione-Pearson 36, Luka Russell 13) SE SYSTEMS 70 (Keenan Ruru-Poharama 28, Paora Dewes 13). Q1 Raiders 22-7, HT 43-22, Q3 64-42.