Basketball: Records tumble while Sharks roll on in NBL

Hawke's Bay Hawks guard Marco Alexander was a key man as records tumbled in their clash with the Taranaki Mountain Airs. Photo / File

A host of records fell while a winning streak hit 10 straight games in a highly entertaining night of National Basketball League action on Saturday.

The Wellington Saints and Southland Sharks rose up the ladder with wins, while one of the highest scoring clashes in years took place in Hawke's Bay as the Hawke's Bay Hawks toppled the Taranaki Mountain Airs 127-123 in an overtime thriller.

The Hawks set franchise records for points scored and conceded in the game, as Alonzo Burton (26 points on 7/9 3PT) and Marco Alexander (24 points on 6/11 3PT) caught fire from beyond the arc.

The duo were aided by 20 points and 13 rebounds from import centre Zack Atkinson, while Jarrod Kenny added 18 points, 10 assists and five steals as the Hawks shot at absurd splits of 57/60/82.

Taranaki also had record-setters, with import point guard Chris Hagan setting franchise records in assists (15) and steals (eight), falling one short of tying the NBL all-time records, set at 16 and nine respectively.

The league's leading scorer - Aaron Fuller - had 36 points and 12 rebounds in another impressive offensive display, Brad Anderson added 26 while Dyson King-Hawea had a career-high 20 points.

In Southland, the Southland Sharks made it 10 straight wins with a 81-79 victory over the Nelson Giants, moving to the top of the NBL ladder.

The Sharks led by six with 45 seconds to go, but a costly turnover coupled with several missed free throws kept the Giants in with a sniff in a game which was within single digits for the majority of the contest.

Tai Wesley had another phenomenal game for the Sharks with 26 points on 12/16 shooting and 14 rebounds, as the Sharks' 39-29 rebounding advantage overcame poor shooting nights from Kevin Braswell (3/13), Adrian Majstrovich (3/13) and Todd Blanchfield (1/10 from deep).

Import guard McKenzie Moore had 20 points and eight rebounds for the visitors, while Sam Demspter added 16 as the Giants fell to 11-4, being surpassed at the top by the 11-3 Sharks.

In Wellington, the Wellington Saints stayed in touching distance of the league leaders with a 107-97 win over the Manawatu Jets.

After a strong first quarter by the hosts opened up a 28-19 lead, the Jets claimed the second 27-17 to take a one-point lead into the break. However, a 36-point offensive explosion in the third quarter gave the Saints a double digit buffer they wouldn't relinquish.

MVP frontrunner Torrey Craig had 25 points, 10 rebounds and a season-high seven assists, while Leon Henry went 6/7 from beyond the arc on his way to 23 points. Lindsay Tait had 12 points, five rebounds and nine assists, and Dion Prewster chimed in with 15 points.

For the Jets, Dion Harris had 29 points and five assists as the visitors missed the impressive Brook Ruscoe, sitting out the weekend due to concussion. The league's leading rebounder Jeremiah Trueman had a big game with 10 points, 14 rebounds, five steals and three blocks.

NBL Ladder:

Southland Sharks 11-3
Nelson Giants 11-4
Wellington Saints 10-4
Supercity Rangers 9-5
Canterbury Rams 7-7
Hawke's Bay Hawks 5-10
Manawatu Jets 5-11
Taranaki Mountain Airs 0-14