Cougars pounce on hotpot Blazers

Kaikohe Cougars dug deep to pull off the final-round upset in the Super Six Basketball when they snaffled a win over table leaders Portland Blazers.
The Cougars travelled to Whangarei for their rescheduled match against Kamo after it was postponed last weekend, as well as their final-round game against Portland at Kensington Stadium, on Saturday.
Kaikohe easily defeated Kamo, who have struggled throughout the inaugural season of the competition, 96-55, and then went on to play Portland with only five players as some of the squad had to head back up north for various commitments.
Portland was boosted with the return of Corey Poa, who looked sharp after training with the Counties Manukau high performance squad over the summer, and the game was close for the four quarters. However, Kaikohe's gritty determination and discipline saw them edge ahead of Portland to pip them 85-79 - despite playing without key performer Atama O'Donnell in the final minute. He was fouled off, leaving only four players on the court.
O'Donnell top-scored with a credible 40 points, while his brother Arahi was also instrumental in the win.
Portland had the last laugh, however, claiming the minor premiership for the inaugural competition.
At the end of the round-robin games, Portland was tied with Raumanga Royals but won the minor premiership on countback.
Portland will play the City Hawks next week in the first of two semifinals. The Hawks had a comfortable 99-34 victory over Kamo at the weekend to finish fourth on the table.
Meanwhile, the second-placed Raumanga who won over Maunu on Friday, 86-79, will tussle over a final's berth with the third-placed Kaikohe in the other semifinal.
Saturday's semifinal between Portland and City will tip off at 2.30pm, while the semifinal between Raumanga and Kaikohe will start at 4pm. Both games are at Kensington Stadium.