The Auckland Pirates have illustrated why they are one of the favourites to win this year’s National Basketball League title with an easy 106-87 victory over the Southland Sharks in Invercargill tonight.

With New Zealand Breakers’ championship winners Dillon Boucher and Alex Pledger rejoining the Pirates’ ranks this week, they were expected to be far too classy for the Sharks and that is exactly what unfolded.

Southland made a promising start to the game, leading 25-24 after the opening quarter, but Auckland’s class shone through in the second quarter and they took a 10 point lead into halftime.

Mistakes began to creep into Southland’s game after halftime, with Auckland feasting off Shark turnovers and scoring several easy baskets in transition. Auckland’s American imports Isma’il Muhammad and Ron Dorsey put on a show for the Southland crowd with some eye-catching slam dunks.

Auckland out-rebounded Southland 41-28 on the night and also outscored the Sharks 66-48 in the paint, with Pledger and Muhammad proving difficult to contain.

Everyone, who stepped off the Auckland bench made an impact out on court, with Brooke Ruscoe, impressing with 14 points in his 18 minutes on court.

Pledger and Boucher both only saw restricted minutes for the Pirates, but their talent was evident for all to see. Pledger scored 14 points, while also pulling in six rebounds in just 14 minutes of game-time. Boucher did a superb job of finding his team-mates for baskets, dishing out eight assists, to go along with his five rebounds.

Things do not get any easier for Southland with the Sharks meeting up with Auckland again next Thursday evening in Auckland. The Pirates are back in action in the second leg of their southern road trip against the Otago Nuggets in Dunedin tomorrow night.

Auckland Pirates 106 (Isma’il Muhammad 26, Lindsay Tait 21, Brook Ruscoe 14, Alex Pledger 14, Ron Dorsey 10)

Southland Sharks 87 (Larry Abney 25, Kevin Braswell 22, Dion Prewster 12, Dan Peck 12, Craig Bradshaw 10)

Quarter scores: (Sharks first) 25-24, 45-55, 61-80, 87-106.

Down 55-39 at halftime, the Sharks blitzed the Saints 26-14 in the third quarter and then won the final quarter 21-16 to win 86-85….but that makes it seem easy – it all hung on a three-point attempt from Dan ‘The Man’ Peck with 14 seconds to go.  Diagonally in line with Dan and the basket, it seemed to me it was going to bounce out big – so I looked to see who was going to be up for the board….but it went in and he and Kevin hassled the hell out of Jason Crowe for the last 13 seconds to secure a huge win – our first over the Saints and a massive comeback to equal the Hawks game for match of the season.  Here’s the box score (click for larger image):

The Southland Sharks have caused the boilover of the National Basketball League season, stunning the previously unbeaten Hawke’s Bay Hawks 102-87 in Invercargill tonight.

Hawke’s Bay entered the game on a seven game winning streak, but met their match in the form of the Sharks, who shot a sizzling 52 per cent from the field.

American point guard Kevin Braswell was superb for the Sharks, netting 36 points on 12 of 24 shooting in the win and also helped himself to eight rebounds. Young guard Dan Peck had easily his best game of the season with 21 points, while Craig Bradshaw and Larry Abney both chipped in with 19 and 17 points respectively.

The game hung in the balance early in the final quarter with Southland clinging to a 71-68 lead, before Braswell and Bradshaw knocked down back-to-back triples to open up a nine-point cushion.

Hawks’ big man Galen Young was then called for a charge at the opposite end of the court, which was his fifth and disqualifying foul. From there, things began to go downhill for the vistors, with Braswell knocking another big three late in the game to seal the victory for Southland.

Hawke’s Bay were well served by lethal sharpshooter Everard Bartlett, who scored 33 points on scorching 62 per cent shooting, with Paora Winitana, contributing 28 points and six rebounds.

The Hawks played the Otago Nuggets in Dunedin, 24 hours earlier, and appeared to tire in the fourth quarter with fatigue catching up with them.

Southland are at home again next Saturday night against the Wellington Saints, while the Hawks host Harbour on Friday night.

ZEROFEES SOUTHLAND SHARKS 74 (Larry Abney 21, Craig Bradshaw 16, Kevin Braswell 13 points; Abney 12 rebounds; Braswell 8 assists and 4 steals) OCEANA GOLD NUGGETS 85

Quarter scores (Sharks first): 25-27; 39-50; 47-70; 74-85

Get down to Stadium Southland and get your tickets early…meanwhile, here’s the teaser from Brendon Egan of the Southland Times:

Southland Sharks coach Richard Dickel has told the Otago Nuggets to bring it on if they want to employ a zone defence against his team at the velodrome tonight.

When the southern neighbours clashed in Dunedin two weeks ago, the Nuggets stood in a zone all game long. In a zone defence, each player targets an area of the court, rather than the man.

The Sharks have struggled against the zone since their inclusion in the National Basketball League in 2010 and had no answer to it in their 80-68 loss to the Nuggets. Southland were forced into taking shots from the outside and could not connect, converting only five of their 22 attempts from three-point range.

Southland had been placing plenty of emphasis on breaking down the zone defence at training this week, Dickel said, and his team had no fears about the Nuggets adopting the tactic again.

The Sharks encountered a zone for much of the game in their most recent outing against the Harbour Heat last Wednesday, and netted a franchise record 108 points on 49 per cent shooting, winning the contest.

“We know they’re probably going to come out and stand in a zone against us and get us to shoot from the outside. It’s very tough when they do that,” Dickel said.

“If that’s what they’re going to do, we’re looking forward to the opportunity to prove we can go well against the zone … The zone is going to play into our hands.”

The easiest way to attack a zone defence is through quick passing and dribble penetration. In experienced American point guard Kevin Braswell, the Sharks have one of the best ballhandlers in the business and he will be an integral figure in the game.

Braswell will be attempting to rebound from one of the worst games of his career last time against the Nuggets. He went two of 15 from the field for nine points and missed several open baskets.

Southland will also be looking to slow Otago’s American big man, Antoine Tisby, who had a huge performance in the last encounter, with 21 points and 16 rebounds.

“I think it’s about making Tisby play defence, that’s the key,” Dickel said. “He’s not a great mover.”

Southland are at home tonight for the first time this year after opening the season with seven away games, due to the unavailability of the velodrome. The Sharks have made a slow start to the season and hold a two win-five loss record. With eight of their remaining nine games at the velodrome, they need to start banking victories, if they h aspire to finals basketball.

One of the more interesting features of tonight’s game should be the banter between the two Dickel brothers. The Nuggets are led by Tall Black point guard and former Shark Mark Dickel, and the crafty veteran will be a key figure for Otago with his vision and ability to spark the fast break.

“It’s all about stopping his transition,” coach Dickel said of his younger brother. “He’s a very good player at getting other people involved in transition. We’ve got to do a better job and make sure he doesn’t get the easy baskets.”

There won’t be any love lost between the Zero Fees-sponsored Sharks and the Nuggets out on court after a feisty ending to the last game – Southland’s Craig Bradshaw and Tisby had to be restrained by team-mates. Dickel also branded Otago’s victory celebrations “distasteful”.

That animosity is only likely to carry over to the velodrome.

HOW THEY LINE UP

What: Southland Sharks v Otago Nuggets
When: Tonight, 7pm ”
Where: Velodrome
Cost: $15 adults, $11 students, $8 children

Southland Sharks: Larry Abney (c), Kevin Braswell, Shaun Tilby, Dion Prewster, Craig Bradshaw, Dan Peck, James Paringatai, Jimmy Todd, Paratene McLeod, Andrew Wheeler, Rhys Smolenski, Tim Campbell

The Southland Sharks have breathed life into their National Basketball League campaign with a crucial 108-99 victory over the Harbour Heat in Auckland last night.
With eight of their next nine games in Invercargill, Southland desperately needed to regain some confidence and get their season back on track and they were able to do just that against the Heat.
American point guard and ex-Breaker Kevin Braswell had a huge game in front of many of his former team-mates in the crowd, scoring a game-high 25 points, while also adding seven rebounds, seven assists and four steals.
Sharks’ big men Craig Bradshaw and Larry Abney both had their way in the paint, scoring 22 and 19 points respectively and tearing down 20 rebounds between them.
The duo were a force inside, regularly driving to the hoop, as the Sharks outscored the Heat 54-30 in the paint- which had been a major emphasis for the team in the lead-up to the game.
One of the most pleasing aspects of the Sharks’ win was the play of the supporting cast of Dan Peck, Shaun Tilby, Dion Prewster and James Paringatai, who were all impressive in the win and gave coach Richard Dickel excellent production.
“Kevin, Larry and Craig are always going to get their points. We’ve got to have other guys stepping up and [last night] they did. I thought James played very, very well for us and did a great job.”
Southland shot well from the field, converting 38 of 77 attempts (49 per cent) and Dickel said it was a heartening performance from his team, who improve to a 2-5 record. The Sharks’ 108 points is their highest score in a game since joining the league in 2010.
“Any win on the road is a bonus and we’ve just got another win. We’ve got to come home and win 80 per cent of our home games and we’ll be fine [to make the top four playoffs],” Dickel said.
“We’re starting to scratch the surface of what we can do.”
Southland made a pleasing start to the game and held a 32-18 advantage after the opening quarter, courtesy of a 16-2 run to close out the term.
The Zero Fees-sponsored Sharks held a seven-point lead at halftime, and put their foot down in the third quarter, outscoring the Heat 34-24 to build a 17-point buffer for the final quarter.
Southland, who blew a 20-point halftime lead against Nelson five nights ago, ensured a nervous finish, after allowing Harbour to score the first nine points of the final quarter.
Harbour kept slowly chipping away at the lead and cut the deficit to just six points with 1.44 remaining on a Zack Atkinson basket.
Southland kept their cool at the other end of the court, making their free throws down the stretch to secure a vital victory.
American centre Atkinson was outstanding for the Heat with 19 points and 18 rebounds, while young Kiwi forward Reuben Te Rangi delivered a memorable effort in the loss, hitting six of six three pointers for 18 points.
Southland take on southern rivals, the Otago Nuggets, in their home opener at the velodrome next Wednesday night.
Southland Sharks 108 (Kevin Braswell 25, Craig Bradshaw 24, Larry Abney 19, Dion Prewster 13, Dan Peck 12, Shaun Tilby 10)
Harbour Heat 99 (Zack Atkinson 19, Reuben Te Rangi 18, Marco Alexander 14, Kevin Smith 14)
Quarter scores: (Sharks first) 32-18, 50-43, 84-67, 108-99

American point guard Kevin Braswell did all he could to lead the Southland Sharks to an upset National Basketball League victory over the Wellington Saints in the capital last night, but it proved in vain, in a 91-76 loss.

After what he described as the worst performance of his career against Otago last Sunday, Braswell was superb for the Sharks last night, scoring a franchise record 33 points on 12 of 23 shooting. He scored 22 of those points in the first half and knocked down six of nine three pointers.

The loss to the two-time defending NBL champion Saints drops Southland back to a league worst one win-four loss record and means their season is officially on life support.

Southland appeared to be in big trouble early in the second quarter, when the Saints jumped out to a 28-17 lead, only for the Sharks to fight back with a 9-0 run. Led by the hot hand of Braswell, Southland took a surprising 38-37 lead into the halftime interval.

The Sharks let the game slip away in the third quarter against Otago in their last outing and that again proved to be the case last night.

Wellington started to get hot on the offensive end, and pulled away from Southland with a 19-4 spurt.

American shooting guard Anthony Gurley, who had just three points in the first half, was in sparkling touch with 15 points in the quarter, with former Shark Arthur Trousdell also causing problems in the paint. The Saints outscored Southland 33-18 in the third quarter to build a 14-point buffer entering the final term.

With confidence running through the Saints’ veins, they broke clear from Southland during the last quarter to pick up a much-needed victory, which puts them back to a 2-3 record.

Gurley shot well from the field for the Saints, scoring a team-high 26 points on 8 of 15 shooting. Trousdell was a menace against his old team with 21 points and nine rebounds, while Casey Frank had a wonderful night, with 15 points and 17 rebounds.

Southland held Wellington’s American point guard Jason Crowe to just six points, but he made nine assists.

Sharks coach Richard Dickel would have been fuming with his side’s rebounding effort. Southland were hammered 54-29 on the glass and only pulled down six offensive rebounds, compared with Wellington’s 26.

Larry Abney was workmanlike for the Sharks with a double-double of 20 points and 11 rebounds, with Craig Bradshaw adding 12 points and four rebounds. The Sharks did not receive much else on offence, with the rest of the team picking up 11 points between them.

The Zero Fees sponsored Sharks will need to put the loss out of their minds quickly as they turn their attention to the second leg of their road double-header against the undermanned Nelson Giants tonight.

Wellington Saints 91 (Anthony Gurley 26, Arthur Trousdell 21, Casey Frank 15, Troy McLean Southland Sharks 76 (Kevin Braswell 33, Larry Abney 20, Craig Bradshaw 12) Quarter scores: (Saints first) 19-15, 37-38, 70-56, 91-76