Basketball: Crash start brings out a real warrior

By PETER JESSUP

Waikato Warriors forward Tony Brown survived an early morning car smash and beat a shoulder injury as his side put a near-record 151-82 defeat on Hawkes Bay in the national basketball league.

Brown slid off the Desert Rd, in the central North Island, when he hit ice while driving up from Wellington overnight on Saturday, writing off his Mitsubishi Lancer. Police took him to a local motel and he called coach Jeff Green, who set off to pick him up.

The pair left Waiouru at first light, got to the game via a visit to a physiotherapist just half an hour before yesterday's 1.30 pm start, and Brown went on to return a massive 37 points.

"Not bad for an old fella," Green said of 37-year-old Brown's work. "I told him he should crash his car before every game."

The scoreline is believed to be the second-highest ever produced in the national league, behind the June 1998 Canterbury-Northland Suns game the Rams took 179-124.

Green also took some credit for firing up his team with a mean fit when the Warriors went to the break 61-48 in front.

"I kicked a few signs around and smashed a few things."

Daryl Johnson had the game-high 38 points, Clifton Bush had 17 and was the best rebounder, while Chris Tupu had a good game for five shots from six and 17 points.

Green intends to give his side the Queens Birthday break off, as the league takes a one-weekend holiday, to freshen them up for a home game against Wellington the following weekend.

He, Tupu, Brown, Johnson and David Hopoi are all ex-Wellington and keen to give their old hometown a kicking, Green said.

It was a weekend of turn-ups, with Auckland and North Harbour both beaten.

Auckland coach Tab Baldwin had felt his side were off the pace at training last week and so it proved.

The Giants scored a 108-87 win in front of a sellout home crowd after the visitors had led after the first quarter and were still in touch at 40-48 at the break.

The Rebels had Pero Cameron and import Matt Barnett fouled out and then seemed to lose their way.

Cameron and import Bryan Christiansen had 24 points for Auckland, Daryl Johnson 22 and Phill Jones 21 for the Giants, the latter an unexpected starter after mid-week injury smokescreens.

Harbour blew a 20-point lead in the last quarter to let the Rams home 77-76, the Rams producing a real team effort and Harbour looking jet-lagged. Kirk Penney had an excuse: he was just off the plane from the United States. The rest didn't. Only import Purnell Perry, with 23, earned his wages.

Otago went one up and one down, a 93-79 loss to the Jets on Friday followed by a 128-106 win over Hawkes Bay on Saturday.

Imports Lynwood Wade (23 each game) and Monte Hardge (14 and 23) carried them - although it was forward Andrew Parke that broke the Hawks' back early, with 19 of his 25 coming in the first half.