Suns will rise after finishing bottom, says McIlroy

No-one wants to be left holding the wooden spoon but the Northland Suns are looking at their bottom place in the Super City Basketball Competition as a huge learning curve for the developing side.
The Suns played their final SCBC game on Saturday at the Breakers Training Facility against Ngatiwai Soldiers, who they defeated several weeks back during the second round, playing off for eighth and ninth. Ngatiwai Soldiers had the final say however, winning 87-84 in what was a below par performance for the Suns.
Northland started strongly, matching Ngatiwai Soldiers basket for basket and trailed by two points at the end of the first quarter.
Ray Cameron - Tall Black Pero Cameron's younger brother - who plays for the Waikato Pistons in the National Basketball League, led the Soldiers and had his team working hard for him, Northland Suns guard Travis McIlroy said.
"He's just as big as Pero and was everywhere on court - he played a big part in their win," he said.
By halftime, Ngatiwai Soldiers had extended their lead to 49-43 and after the break, the wheels fell off for the Suns. Their lapse in defence and a communication breakdown saw the Suns trailing 72-61 after their third quarter. The absence of their skipper Corey Poa, who was unavailable for the match, was noticeable, McIlroy said.
However, the Suns were not down and out yet and a huge scoring spree from season top performers Mitch Knock and Atama O'Donnell put up 22 of the 24 total points shot in the final quarter.
The other two points were shot by Justin Friedrich - after he received a pass from O'Donnell.
"The last quarter was all about those three. Their work ethic is phenomenal ... they have a big future in the game," McIlroy said.
Knock was the top scorer achieving a massive 31 points, while O'Donnell was next in line, shooting 20 points.
Despite the late come back, the clock was against the Suns, and they could not quite rein in Ngatiwai Soldiers' lead, losing by four points.
Although it was never great to finish last in a competition, the Suns' debut season in the SCBC was not disappointing at all for the coaches, players and supporters.
"We're really happy with the player development we have seen during the season. We know these teams we are playing are beatable - they are playing their best yet we have just started in this competition. There won't be a repeat of this result next year," McIlroy said.
The Suns are now gearing up for their first home game of the season, a "friendly" against the Auckland Rivets on October 30, at Kensington Stadium from 4.30pm.