Basketball: Penney faces old teammates

Klay Rouse goes up for a slam dunk against Muriwhenua.Photo / Ron Burgin.

Ethan Penney featured heavily as the Portland Blazers defeated the Maunu Lights in the opening round of the Super Basketball League men's competition at Kensington Stadium.

Penney had good reason for a few nerves before playing his first match for the Blazers on Saturday, after swapping teams in the off season and coming up against his former side Maunu in the opening match.

Fortunately for the Blazers, any nerves were fleeting and Penney went on to score a game high 22 points in the 69-61 victory.

Portland needed Penney's input after losing a few key players from last season. His energetic plays and agility helped them to claw back a 35-32 half-time deficit and take the eight-point win to start their season on a positive note.

Defending champions Whangaruru Bloodlines also got their campaign off to a good start defeating a promising City Hawks side 98-78.

Bloodlines' experienced players provided the guidance and guile while the young development players ran the court with good passing and combinations to see the side up by 13 at half-time. They kicked on in the second spell to round out a 20-point win with Imrahn Henare top-scoring with 20 points.

The Hawks, filled with up-and-comers, responded well to the pressure put on them by the more experienced Bloodlines side. Leading their efforts were Kurtis Tito and Herb Smith, who appear to have a strong team to back them up. The Hawks will be a team to watch as the competition progresses.

Raumanga Royals were the other winners in the men's SBL competition, defeating one of last year's form teams, Muriwhenua, who took the court this year as the Far North Thunder.

The Royals played their normal fast-paced game, making it hard for the Thunder to keep up as they built on a 43-10 half-time advantage to eventually win 98-47. Raumanga's Liam Wilson top-scored with 27 points.

The Thunder were outclassed all over the court by the Royals but never gave up. The far north side played very well in patches and will be looking to address their shortcomings in the weeks to come.

There were two games played in the opening round of the Te Tai Tokerau Classic Women's competition also held at Kensington Stadium on Saturday.

Portland Flames took on Bucks and gave them a good lesson, defeating them 66-12.

The Flames played an outstanding team game with all players contributing on both offence and defence with Jaimee-lee Tito top-scoring with 16 points.

The Flames played with great sportsmanship, which was much appreciated by the newcomers from the Bucks.

Bucks, under coach Mata Cameron, are still learning the game but didn't need to learn about determination, with all players continuing to give 100 per cent throughout the one-sided encounter.

In the other match, the Phoenix Takahiwai took on the Muriwhenua women's team with the visitors notching up their first win of the season with a comfortable 57-36 victory.

Muriwhenua had a mixture of old heads and youthful experience on court with half their team still away playing at the Secondary Schools National Championships.

Freda Riwai, Paulette Lewis and Rangi Tawhara put pressure on the Phoenix guards, creating turnovers and allowing forwards Lisa Tamarua and Creole Wallace to score close to the hoop.

Defending TTT Classic Champions Whangaruru had the first round bye.