31 May 2007 - BALANCED PISTONS DEFEAT RAMS
By Piet Van Hasselt, Live in Timaru

American duo Jason Crowe and Kevin Smith scored at critical junctures to lead a balanced Waikato Pistons scoring attack to defeat the Scenic Circle Rams in Timaru, 87-65.  Crowe was a consistent threat early with 16 first half points by halftime including 4/4 three-pointers, and Smith scored eight in a decisive 13-0 scoring run to open the third quarter that stretched a tied ballgame at the half out to a decisive margin.

In all, five Pistons reached double-figures in points and Coach Murray McMahon was able to rotate his experienced squad to good effect.  The Rams had a positive first half, riding the back of Jeremy Kench who drove hard in his 16 points on 8/9 shooting, combining for a season high 56 per cent from the field.  However missed lay-ups, jumpers that hit nothing but iron and 11 turnovers cost the team in the second half mustering just 24 per cent, as the Pistons maintained their accuracy and steamrolled the home team in the final quarter, finishing on a 15-3 run.  The win was the eighth in the last nine for Waikato (9-5), and keeps the team right in the tight playoff race.  The Rams (3-11) hold their eighth spot on the table.

The match was the Rams final home game of the season was hosted at unfamiliar home of the SBS Events Centre in Timaru (2 hours drive south from Christchurch) due to the unavailability of the Westpac Arena, and the locals turned out in good numbers to support the red and blacks.

The first quarter featured seven lead changes and three tied score-lines as the teams sized up the zone defences and were unable to distance themselves by more than four points.  Jason Crowe had a pair of three-pointers thanks to good penetration and kick opportunities from Luke Martin.  Kench, Michael Joiner and Mychal Green had strong individual moves to keep the Rams in touch.  The difference at the end of the quarter was Ben Hill's offensive board work and four second chance points as Waikato lead, 23-19.

Four three-pointers by the Pistons in the second quarter, and a 10-2 scoring run saw Waikato grab the ascendancy and a seven-point lead, 41-34, before Canterbury finished on a 9-2 run and tied the game at the half, 43-all.  Kench matched his first quarter output with another eight points, including a rare strip of Cameron near half-court and ensuing fast break lay-up.

Waikato emerged from the half-time locker rooms more focused with the southpaw Smith able to find space in transition through good rebounding from the Pistons bigs, following a series of missed lay-ups and jumpers from the Rams.  A banked three from Hill was in the midst of the outburst from Smith.  The Canterbury drought of scoring was finally broken six minutes into the quarter following a 13-0 run from Waikato, thanks to a free throw from Nathan Hyde who was elbowed on an unsportsmanlike foul from former Tall Black Mike Homik.  Canterbury then reeled off six more points in quick time with Kench and Joel Hart converting conventional three-point plays.  Just when the momentum was building, a series of near-misses with passes to players in scoring position robbed the Rams of valuable chances as the turnovers began to mount.  Cameron and Crowe made them pay with a long bomb each and the Pistons held a 62-52 lead at the end of the third.

The Rams 1-3-1 zone worked wonders to open the fourth and just when they were trimming the lead through Joiner at 64-58, a timely Cameron bomb pulled the score line back out to 11, 69-59.  The Pistons let the floodgates open and punished Canterbury in transition to close out on a 15-3 run in the final three minutes and finish with the biggest margin in the game.

American two-guard Crowe showed he is one of the class players in the NBL, with adept shooting touch from high arching jumpers and great defence, particularly in the second half.  He finished with a fantastic all-round 22 points (7/12 shooting, 5/9 from three), eight rebounds, five assists, three steals and two blocked shots.  Smith's 13 points all came in the second half and he was a monster on the boards with 12 rebounds and also had two blocks.  Martin ran the show well with 11 points and six assists.  Pero Cameron and heir apparent Ben Hill had 11 points each and were effective in the paint using their superior strength and also hit from deep, Pero with three and Hill with one three-pointer.  Homik's contribution came late in the piece, and his eight points and eight boards were the cherry on the top from a great all-round team performance.

Playmaker Kench continued his strong recent form with 21 points, which included seven lay-ups, but had only three attempts in the second half to shoot a combined 10/12 overall.  He also amassed five rebounds, four assists and four steals, but did record six turnovers.  Joiner had 19 points and 12 boards, but was unable to land a triple (0/6) in what has become a key strength of his game shooting 47 per cent for the season.  Green had a strong start with 10 points in the first half, but got frustrated and failed to score in the second.  Nathan Hyde battled under the boards against the big Pistons frontline and finished with five points and six rebounds.

Waikato complete their Southern Road Double against the Otago Nuggets (2-13) in Dunedin on Saturday night.  The team stayed the night in Timaru before driving south tomorrow.  They then face the Rams in the return encounter in Hamilton next Thursday night in the Sky TV game.

Waikato Pistons 87 (Jason Crowe 22, Kevin Smith 13, Pero Cameron 11, Luke Martin 11, Ben Hill 11)

Canterbury Rams 65 (Jeremy Kench 21, Michael Joiner 19, Mychal Green 10)

Halftime 43-43

BOXSCORE

29 May 2007 - RAMS v JETS VIDEO INTERVIEWS

YOUTUBE HIGHLIGHTS LINK - Courtesy Phil Benoit - Vidhost
 

25 May 2007 - HEAT BOMBERS TOO GOOD FOR DETERMINED RAMS

By Piet Van Hasselt

The Harbour Heat (10-3) countered every blow the Scenic Circle Rams (3-10) threw at them and landed 13 trifectas (42 per cent) to retain top spot on the NBL ladder  in front of the biggest crowd of the season in Christchurch, 88-81.  Brent Charleton had six long-bombs in his 25-point tally and Hayden Allen was an all-court threat constantly finding middle penetration off the dribble and hitting from deep to rack up a game-high 29.  He also helped create havoc on defence in the first half and collected seven boards, four assists and three steals amidst foul trouble.

The Rams were coming off a heart breaking loss to the Hawks on Wednesday night, and kept pace with the Heat for much of the contest.  To their credit Coach Chris Sparks and his charges never gave up despite falling behind early in the contest against one of the year's title contenders.  American Mychal Green produced a special 16-point explosion in the third quarter to give the 2200-strong crowd a string of highlights.  Green finished with 26 points (9/25 FG), six boards, three steals and zero turnovers.

Harbour jumped out to an early lead in the first quarter 19-6 after only five minutes thanks to some intense defence that forced five turnovers and was translated into easy transition points, with Allen the principle scorer slotting 10.  The Rams Fans must have been happier in the remainder of the first quarter, with Joel Hart coming in off the bench and contributing six and passing errors were tidied up to trail 26-19.

The Heat remained in the lead for the second quarter but Luke Ruscoe made an impact off the bench with some solid defence and hit his first points in his third game back in a Rams singlet, that trimmed the lead to three on an athletic assist from Jeremy Kench, 37-34.  However, Allen answered with two drives to the hoop for easy lay-ups and Harbour held a seven point advantage at the halftime break, 43-36.

The third quarter featured eight lead changes thanks to a punch, counter-punch heavyweight exchange with Green notching 16 points that included two three-pointers and two put-backs, while the Heat answered in threes, with five three-pointers (Charleton three).  Canterbury quickly got back into the contest scoring the first nine points of the half, but Charleton couldn't miss, even slotting an attempted lob pass into Behrendorff that hit nothing but net!  Jeremy Kench got his driving game going in the later stages of the quarter and got to the free throw line to tie the game at 60-all.  Harbour ripped off the last five points of the quarter with Oscar Foreman hitting a three, and Allen making another lay-up to lead 65-60 with 10 minutes to play.

The Harbour run continued in the fourth with only Luke Ruscoe's three-pointer causing a blip on the radar as Charleton and Allen found gaps in what had been a rugged zone defence and Cartwright scored a pair of baskets to extend the run to 22-5 and a 82-65 gap with five to play.  Try as they might Canterbury's jumpers couldn't fall during that stretch, but they managed to cut the lead back to under double-digits in the final minute thanks to some late heroics from Hart.  There was to be no miracle comeback despite plenty of hope from the fans after the Hawks amazing turnaround just two nights earlier.

Foreman provided an excellent foil to Charleton and Allen and finished with 13 points, including 3/6 from deep, and a spectacular six blocks with his long wingspan.  Behrendorff was held to eight points thanks to some packed in zone defence, on 3/5 attempts, but cleaned up the boards with 12.  Jarrod Kenny ran the offence well for the best all-round unit in the NBL with 10 assists.  Former two-time Ram Nat Connell did not have the spectacular individual game against the old team he would have liked, fouling out with two points and two assists from 16 minutes.

Rams American forward Michael Joiner was targeted well by the Heat defence and the big man was restricted to only 10 field goal attempts, but still had 13 points and 17 rebounds.  Mike Townsend backed up a career high performance on Wednesday and was a constant threat during his 23 minutes compiling eight points, eight boards, four blocks and two steals and held him own against the near seven footer Behrendorff.  Hart had 14 points, including 6/7 from the line.  Kench appeared to be troubled with the referees decisions all game, which included an unsportsmanlike foul in the late stages of the game, and that hampered his efforts as he managed a 10 point (3/10 FG), seven assist, but seven turnover contribution.

The smaller Canterbury frontline dominated the boards 58-39 overall, including a remarkable 50 per cent of offensive boards opportunities (which was converted into 17 second chance points).  The Heat forced 17 Rams turnovers compared to 12, and took advantage with 17 points from these errors.  Canterbury were unable to match Harbour's 42 per cent field goal accuracy, going 37 per cent, but were more effective at getting to the free throw line, 18/26 (69 per cent), compared to 11/20 (56 per cent).

The Rams have their last official home game next Thursday in Timaru against the Waikato Pistons (8-6), while the Heat play the lowly Nuggets (2-12) on Saturday night.

Harbour Heat 88 (Hayden Allen 29, Brent Charleton 25, Oscar Forman 13)

Canterbury Rams 81 (Mychal Green 26, Joel Hart 14, Michael Joiner 13, Jeremy Kench 10)

Halftime 43-36
BOXSCORE

23 May 2007 - HENARE BOMB SINKS VALIANT RAMS EFFORT

By Piet Van Hasselt

BONUS COVERAGE - one of the best at Westpac

The defending NBL title winners the Easy LPG Bay Hawks showed that you can never count out the heart of a champion in the fourth quarter, snatching victory from the jaws of defeat, coming back from a 16-point deficit with two minutes in regulation and win in overtime over the Scenic Circle Rams in Christchurch, 103-100.  Tall Black and Hawks playmaker Paul Henare tied the match on the buzzer at the end of the fourth quarter with a 30-foot jumper, and the visitors carried that momentum into the extra period in what was easily the best game at Westpac Arena in recent seasons.  The Rams valiant effort in the third quarter, where they outscored their more talented rivals 35-12, was thwarted with a 2/10 succession of free throws in the fourth quarter as the Hawks executed the perfect 'score then foul quickly' strategy.  Coach Shaun Dennis, who celebrated his 50th win in the NBL, was fuming as he watched the Rams double their halftime score in the third quarter alone and utilised some effective offensive/defensive substitutions during key moments in the fourth.  The experience factor shone through with the Hawks teaching the young Rams plenty of lessons and this win could be the catalyst for bigger things to come with the team in a firm fight for a playoff spot.

Kareem Johnson came up trumps for the Hawks with 12 points in the fourth quarter and overtime, in his 21-point tally on a highly effective 9/13 shooting.  Johnson collected 11 boards, but also had five turnovers.  Thirteen of Paora Winitana's 20 points came in the first half and the guard also grabbed 11 rebounds.  The hero of the game, Paul Henare, had 12 points, nine boards, seven assists and two steals and kept the team composed when the cause looked bleak.  Everard Bartlett wasn't gun shy going 4/13 from three for 15 points.  Andrew Rice was held to eight points on 2/6 shooting and six turnovers, very different than his first visit to the Westpac Arena when he torched the Rams with 27 points on 10/13 shooting, when he was in a Saints uniform back in March.  Clifton Bush and Arthur Trousdell came alive in crunch time during the the fourth and overtime combining for 12 points and five rebounds over that stretch.

Five Rams reached double figures for the first time this season with Mychal Green leading the way with 25 points on 8/21 shooting (2/10 from three), shouldering much of the load with 19 in the second half and overtime, but had six turnovers.   Joiner played every minute of the match and had nine points in the third quarter in his 19-point haul to go with nine boards, three blocks, three steals and two assists.   Second year big man Mike Townsend had a career night with 14 points (4/8 FG, 6/7 FT), seven boards from 25 minutes.  Foul trouble robbed Jeremy Kench of more than his 14 points from 23 minutes.   

The Rams did a meritorious job on defence not allowing the taller frontline space and time to operate with plenty of doubling-down and zone coverage.  Hawke's Bay didn't help their cause with 27 turnovers in all, compared to 17 for the home side.  However they had a dominating presence on the offensive boards, particularly in the second half and overtime, grabbing 25 in all (48 per cent of opportunities).  Both teams slotted 29/41 free throws, but it was the timing of the misses that cost Canterbury.

The Hawks could do little right in the first quarter with seven turnovers mainly due to an energized zone defence from the Rams, including two swats by American Joiner on the Hawks imports.  Coach Dennis quickly went to his bench after the Rams opened with a 9-2 advantage after five minutes.  Home town hero from last week Hart nailed a three-pointer to take a 16-7 lead.  Some late salvage work from Hawks backup point Aidan Daly saw the home side lead cut to 16-11.

The second quarter began strongly for the Hawks taking advantage of some tight foul calls from the three officials and earned trips to the free throw line, going a perfect 11/11 for the quarter.  In the opening five minutes the Hawks outscored the Rams 17-2, to extend the scoring run to 21-2, as the Rams offence sputtered and the Hawks held a 28-18 score line.  Winitana thrived in transition and an athletic slam dunk along with an alley oop from Rice and a thunderous slam from Johnson fired the visitors up.  Following a time out, the Rams responded through Joiner, but it was a series of 'and one' plays from Hart and Townsend that brought them back into contention at 37-35, before Winitana calmly slotted a triple and grew the lead to 40-35 in the dying stages of the half.

Just like last week, the Rams had the better of their opponents in the third quarter, with a scrambling defence igniting their offence.  The Hawks amassed eight turnovers and Canterbury scored 13 from them.  The home side couldn't miss from long range, going 5/8, with Joiner contributing three bombs.  Kench had a strong five minute stretch scoring eight points before he was tagged for his fourth foul and forced to sit with the Rams holding a 52-47 lead.  Ash Rees stepped in and the home side didn't let up, with Townsend doing the blue collar work on the boards and American Green setting up his teammates with three dimes, as the red and blacks finished on a 15-2 run to lead 70-52.  All looked merry in the Rams camp with the mighty upset seemingly just 10 minutes away.

The opening possession from the Hawks resulted in turnover number 20, and that was too much for Coach Dennis who quickly called a time out 20 seconds in and verbally blasted his team.  The Hawks came out focused on defence and Everard Bartlett hit a three-pointer and converted two free throws to cut the lead back to 70-59 before Rams Coach Sparks called a time out with seven minutes remaining.  Kench was re-introduced and Townsend had a pair of scores.  The Hawks lost their discipline with Johnson collecting a technical foul, arguing he was fouled on a converted offensive put back.  Canterbury continued to earn trips to the charity stripe and led 81-64 with four minutes to play.  The only thing stopping Townsend was a cut on his elbow and the big man was blood binned.  Former Ram Clifton Bush kept the visitors within shouting distance by hitting a three.  Then a key moment occurred with Kench picking up his fifth and final foul with four minutes on the clock, however Rees canned a three-pointer to propel his side to an 18-point lead, 85-67 with three minutes to play.  Things were looking safe for Canterbury, but an alley-oop dunk from Johnson with two minutes remaining prompted the Hawks to begin their fouling strategy.  The first foul was good with Rees going 2/2 from the line, however the Rams missed their next seven attempts from eight and at the same time the Hawks had reeled off 14 points including threes to Bartlett, Bush and Daly and a perfectly executed back-pick and roll alley-oop dunk to Johnson from a baseline out-of-bounds play.  Johnson was only on the court thanks to Coach Dennis who was subbing in Johnson and Bush for offence/defence continually during the run.  Overall, in the space of just 1:20 the Hawks had taken a 16 point gap back to one, trailing 87-86 with 46 seconds to play.  Neither team could score under this now white-hot pressure for the next couple of possessions.  Johnson put back a long miss from Bartlett to cut the Rams lead back to 89-88 with 16 seconds on the clock.  Green managed to convert 2/2 from the line after a quick foul and there was 4.5 ticks on the clock with the Hawks down by three, 91-88.  Henare caught the inbounds pass, took a couple of dribbles, and launched a 30-foot prayer that hit nothing but net and silenced the Wednesday night crowd at the Westpac Arena.  Hawks players invaded the court to celebrate with their captain.

The momentum was squarely with the visitors in overtime despite having Winitana, Daly and Rice on the bench thanks to the necessary foul tactics.  Former two-time Ram and team energizer Bush scored the opening basket and it took two minutes before the Rams could answer with Green hitting a triple and tie the game up at 94-all.  Bush was causing havoc for the Rams to even get inbounds passes and that had them on the back foot to begin each possession.  A steal from Nathan Hyde was crucial and Hart canned two free throws to give the Rams a one-point lead, 97-96 with 1:18 to play.  But a former one-time Ram Arthur Trousdell was an active presence on the boards in overtime, grabbing three at the offensive end, and took advantage of a tired Rams defence to scored a basket and then two free-throws to give the his team a 100-98 margin with 17.7 seconds to play.  Then a mental error from the Rams cost them a possession with Green bobbling the ensuing inbounds pass from Joiner.  Bartlett was immediately fouled and made 1/2.  Interestingly Johnson fouled Hyde in the rebounding situation, and Hyde did something his teammates struggled to do in  the fourth going 2/2 from the line, as the Hawks led 101-100.  Henare was fouled straight away with 12.8 seconds left and Henare made the first, and then intentionally missed the second to the right, and chased down the board and was fouled again with 10 seconds.  This strategy was applauded by Coach Dennis, who shook his head in admiration of how his court leader could even think of such a genius play in this pressure situation.  After being fouled again, Henare missed the first and got the second.  This gave the Rams the ball down three.  The ball was inbounded and Mark Morrison found himself a look from the left corner, but the shot cannoned out and the Hawks were jubilant.  Bush was particularly demonstrative, and deservedly so, lapping up the win against his former team with his typical confrontational style.

Canterbury (3-9) have little turnaround time with the Harbour Heat (9-2) in town on Friday night.  While the Hawks (9-4) take on the streaking Waikato Pistons (7-4) at home on Friday in a huge match-up.

Bay Hawks 103 (Kareem Johnson 21, Paora Winitana 20, Everard Bartlett 15, Paul Henare 12)
Canterbury Rams 100 (Mychal Green 25, Michael Joiner 19, Jeremy Kench 14, Mike Townsend 14, Joel Hart 12)
Halftime 40-35

BOXSCORE

17 May 2007 - HART FINDS ZONE AS RAMS CELEBRATE GAME #500

By Piet Van Hasselt

The Scenic Circle Rams saved their best performance of the 07 season for the franchise's 500th outing in the National Basketball League, suffocating the Manawatu Jets enroute to a 23-4 scoring run in the middle stages that catapulted the home side to their third straight win at the Westpac Arena, 91-71.  Kaiapoi product reserve guard Joel Hart came off the bench and made the most of his 16 minutes scoring 18 points, including a perfect 5/5 from three-point range, and also snatched three steals.  Hart is a proven shooter at National Under 23 and CBL levels and showed his immense promise as he found the place that only the selected few can find of being 'in the zone'.  Members of the inaugural Rams side from 1982 watched courtside as the young charges cast aside a slow start, playing with more determination from the second quarter onwards.

Manawatu failed to make the most of a 24 per cent shooting effort from the Rams in the first period, despite an 11-0 scoring run where Canterbury couldn't hit from the outside for four and a half minutes in the middle of the quarter to lead 17-10.  Aaron Nowell and Brandon Payton each had five points to lead the effort for Manawatu.

The Jets themselves carried over a dry spell in the second quarter, not scoring for a combined five and a half minutes, but then grew a ten-point lead through a pair of lay-ups from Matt TeHuna thanks to some well worked zone offence.  The Rams Fans could be heard with loud 'awwhhs' as there appeared to be glad wrap on the Rams end with errant shots, and good work on the offensive glass only amounted to more close misses.  However the  fortunes changed with the introduction of Hart who nailed a pair of triples in his eight points including the final basket of the half as the margin was cut to just two, 35-33, with Canterbury finishing on an 8-1 run.

The Rams pounced on a seemingly lackadaisical Jets jumping to the front through changing defensive schemes and getting out on the fast break.  Five players scored in a separate 14-2 run to extend the overall run to 23-4 after the first five minutes of the quarter.  A time out from the Jets consolidated the visitors effort through the shooting hands of Reese Cassidy, but the young Canterbury squad countered through a Mike Townsend dunk and three-pointers from Hart and Michael Joiner as the Rams led 63-49 with 10 minutes to play.

The Jets defence resembled a sieve in the fourth, letting through a number of drives and giving shooters to much room, with a pair of treys from Hart and Green.  Both Americans from either side seemed to be enjoying the camaraderie of the game with plenty of friendly banter, and at one stage Byrd and Joiner tangled and fell together at the Jets offensive end, then held each other for a moment before sprinting back and a pass to Joiner was broken up.  Payton's NBA brother Gary would have been proud, jawing with Green before a referee intervened and both players hugged to show that the moment was light and not serious.  The Rams throttled away in fifth gear as the Jets were stuck in second and a 22-point lead was opened up at 80-58 with five to play.  The only thing keeping the scoreline from blowing out further was the shooting touch from Stacey Lambert and Cassidy.  The Rams Fans rejoiced as the squads pair of rookies were subbed in with two minutes to play.  Willy McVitty made his first appearance in the NBL against the hometown Jets and celebrated with three points and Matt Stevenson scored his first points at home with four himself.

American forward Joiner finished with 19 points, nine boards and four assists and was the most consistent option for the Rams.  Green matched his American teammate scoring 16 of his 19 points in the second half and also featured with nine rebounds and five assists.  Kench had 14 points and five dimes.  Point Guard Ash Rees was active on the boards as always pulling down seven in 12 minutes of action.  Former NZ Junior Rep and Rams player in 2000 and 01 Luke Ruscoe made a return to the red and black uniform following a four year career at Brown University taking the court for seven minutes.  Ruscoe was signed on Wednesday and is playing his way back into form following ankle surgery.

The Jets were led in scoring by chirpy guard Paton with 22 points on 8/20 shooting and eight boards.  Towering Centre George Byrd threatened  but was held in check by the Rams defence scoring 13 points on 5/7 attempts and grabbing 10 boards, four assists and an excellent six steals.  Cassidy and Lambert had their moments, but never took over the game with their sharp shooting ability.

The Rams produced one of their best efforts on the boards winning 52-43 and limited the Jets to only nine offensive rebounds (20 per cent of chances) for just one second chance point.  The three-point onslaught from Hart and Green saw the home side record an emphatic 42 per cent from long range (10/24) compared to 28 per cent from the Jets (8/29).

Canterbury (3-8) face two home games next week against title contenders Hawks on Wednesday and Heat on Friday, while the Jets (2-9) take on the Nuggets in a bottom of the table encounter in Dunedin on Saturday night.

Canterbury Rams 91 (Mychal Green 19, Michael Joiner 19, Joel Hart 18, Jeremy Kench 14)

Manawatu Jets 71 (Brandon Payton 22. George Byrd 13, Reece Cassidy 13, Stacey Lambert 11)

Halftime 33-35
BOXSCORE

Canterbury Rams 80 (Michael Joiner 23, Jeremy Kench 17, Mychal Green 16, Paul McFarlin 10)

Otago Nuggets 70 (Branduinn Fullove 21, Justin Bailey 19, Miles Pearce 11, Darryl Jones 10)

Halftime 38-28

12 April 2007 - RAMS OFF THE SCHNIDE WITH FIRST WIN

By Piet Van Hasselt

The Scenic Circle Rams recorded their first win of the season over the Taranaki Mountain Airs at the Westpac Arena in Christchurch in a tight tussle, 72-64.  Both teams failed to fire offensively but a superior defensive effort by the home side and 22 second chance points saw them home down the stretch.  Canterbury played with a passion not seen this season in the fourth quarter and Coach Chris Sparks mixed up his zone and pack defenses effectively to mastermind the result.  The roller coaster score-line featured 13 tied scores and nine lead changes.  Following a charge call on Mountain Airs superstar scorer Garry Hill-Thomas with a minute left, Link Abrams was tagged with a technical and the Rams scored the final six points of the contest to create the biggest margin of the contest. 

Coach Sparks and his players noted a complete team effort that contributed to the victory.  The feeling in the home team's camp was positive despite an 0-6 start, and this result will no doubt give them a confidence boost for the remainder of the season after it could have appeared to even the most die hard Rams Fan the season was all but a lost cause.

Mark Morrison was the catalyst for the Rams in the opening quarter finding his way back into the starting five and played aggressively driving to the hole for six points.  Canterbury was able to pick up easy transition points that had eluded them in previous games this season.  Taranaki answered with Hill-Thomas who was able to penetrate the pack defence on the baseline, and three-point plays to Kaine Hokianga and Link Abrams saw the visitors up at the end of the first period, 17-16.

Neither team could fire from the field overall in the second quarter, with Taranaki going 6/18 while the Rams went 6/19.  A pair of Joel Hart trifectas and some fluid finishes from Jeremy Kench were the highlights for the home side, while the Mountain Airs countered with some hard work in the trenches from Gabe Stephenson.  However, the Rams took a four-point lead into the halftime break, 33-29.

Taranaki emerged from the locker rooms in much better shape, speeding up the pace of the game and closing the gap to three at 35-32, before Rams Coach Sparks called a time out to lay down the law to his young charges just three minutes in.  Stephenson and Abrams were dominant in the paint combining for 14 points, while Hill-Thomas' was held scoreless in this quarter.  Taranaki edged in front at 44-40, before a quick five point burst from Mychal Green, including an impressive three-pointer thanks to fine ball movement, gave give the Rams the momentum into the final stanza up 48-46.

Neither side could distance themselves from the other in the until the last two minutes in the fourth going basket-for-basket as the scoring floodgates opened up, compared in relative terms to the opening quarters.  Joiner finished with 10 in the final quarter including a triple, while Kench had a three-point bomb of his own along with an and one play that spurred the team.  As a team Taranaki combined for a sub-par 5/12 free throws down the stretch.

Green had 20 points to lead the way for the Rams and also contributed seven boards and four assists.  Fellow American Michael Joiner had a double-double with 16 points and 14 rebounds to go along with four steals and two blocked shots.  An opportune put-back off a missed dunk from Joiner proved to be the go-ahead basket in the fourth quarter.  Kench made the most of his penetration opportunities when they arose, slotting through gaps in the Mountain Airs defence for 14 points and five assists.  Mike Townsend came off the bench and despite some misses around the basket was an effective shot-changer at the defensive end on his way to five points and six boards from 15 minutes.  Nathan Hyde worked hard and overcame the height disadvantage grabbing six boards.

Abrams did a mountain of work for the visitors leading the cause with 19 points, six boards and two blocks.  Hill-Thomas was restricted by the Rams pack defence and his scoring average was ten down, on his way to 19 points, and four missed free throws in the final stanza gave his team plenty of work to make up.  Restricted player Stephenson shrugged off his recent run of poor form accumulating a double-double of 11 points and as many boards, including six on the offensive glass.  Hokianga was the Mountain Airs sole threat from deep going 2/4 from three for 10 points. 

Taranaki managed to outshoot the Rams 40 per cent to 36 per cent, but missed free throws cost the visitors, 16/29 (55 per cent).  The Mountain Airs also recorded 16 turnovers, including two 24 second violations, compared to only eight by the Rams.  The Rams showed an improved ball movement while the Mountain Airs relied on one-on-one penetration to dominate the assist category 14-4.
 

The Rams (1-6) have another bye weekend before taking on the Giants in Nelson (4-2) on Anzac Day.  Taranaki (3-5) have little time to lick their wounds, facing a determined Otago Nuggets (1-5) in Dunedin tomorrow night, who will see the return of American Branduinn Fullove who replaced Jameel Pugh this week.

Canterbury Rams 72 (Mychal Green 20, Michael Joiner 16, Jeremy Kench 14)

Taranaki Mountain Airs 64 (Link Abrams 19, Garry Hill-Thomas 19, Gabe Stephenson 11, Kaine Hokianga 10)

Halftime 33-29

BOXSCORE

1 April 2007 - TAIT TREMENDOUS IN STARS WIN

Playmaker Lindsay Tait bagged an impressive 36 points to lead his Auckland Stars over the Canterbury Rams at the ASB Stadium in Auckland, 104-94.  The Stars surged ahead in the second quarter thanks to opening with a 10-0 scoring run, and resisted a late comeback attempt by the Rams in the fourth quarter.  Michael Joiner had 36 for the visitors including 5/5 from deep.

Report from Scott Spicer to follow.  The Kiwihoops Editor is in transit from Auckland, so apologies for any delays.

Auckland Stars 104 (Lindsay Tait 36, Danny Lambert 14, Tashaan Forehan-Kelly 13, Dillon Boucher 11, Charlie Piho 10)

Canterbury Rams 94 (Michael Joiner 36, Mychal Green 24, Paul McFarlin 12)
Halftime 56-42

BOXSCORE

22 March 2007 - HEAT CONTINUE STRONG START TO SEASON

Harbour Heat 94 (Oscar Forman 23, Brent Charleton 15, Tim Behrendorff 15, Hayden Allen 14, Nat Connell 13)

Scenic Circle Canterbury Rams 73 (Mychal Green 26, Michael Joiner 22)

Quarter 18-22
Halftime 45-39 (27-17)
Threequarter 74-52 (29-13)
Fulltime 94-73 (20-21)

BOXSCORE UNAVAILABLE - will post once comes to hand

22 March 2007 - RICE REMEDY FOR SAINTS PROBLEMS

By Piet Van Hasselt
Australian big man Andrew Rice (pictured) led the way for the Century City Wellington Saints putting on a clinic of offensive post moves on his way to a game-high 27 points (11/13 shooting) and eight rebounds in a win over the Scenic Circle Rams in Christchurch, 85-77.  The Rams had no response for the Townsville Crocodile 2.05m forward who proved his worth after being a late pre season pick-up for the Saints covering the injury of Nick Horvath, and was the team's sole import after JD Collins was sent home earlier this week.  The Saints were coming off two unexpected losses and needed this victory to get their season back on track.

A lethargic third quarter cost the home side any chance of the upset, going scoreless for five minutes and Wellington switched on their afterburners for a 13-0 scoring run to turn a 59-54 Rams lead into a 67-59 Saints advantage heading into the final stanza.  Every shot the Rams took rimmed out.  Before 'garbage time' hit with two minutes to go in the game, Canterbury had managed just eight points in the last 15 minutes of play.  Then the scoring floodgates opened, but the damage was done, and Wellington survived the 'score quickly then foul technique' and ran out winners to even their record at 2-2.

The Rams started the game strongly courtesy of a 9-2 run with a trio of three-pointers taking advantage of the Saints zone, before Wellington fought back with a thriving transition game and a 13-4 run of their own.  Joel Hart's three-pointer tied the first quarter at 20-all.

Canterbury looked strong in the second quarter firstly with Michael Joiner finding gaps in the defence for nine points and then Jeremy Kench was back to his best, driving to the hoop and racking up eight of his own.  The interior play of Rice was the stable diet for the Saints in the second with eight.  Both sides looked strong shooting near 50 per cent as the half closed, with the Rams in front 46-44.

The third quarter began well for the Rams with Mychal Green nailing a triple, while Wellington's three-point attempts failed to find their mark.  However Canterbury hit the doldrums and went away from what was working for them in the first half.  Coach Chris Sparks was tagged with a technical foul for arguing calls and Wellington ripped off a 13-0 run.

Wellington could not be denied in the fourth and eased away as Canterbury's scoring woes did not subside.  An emotional Jonathon Southey canned a three-pointer, his first points for the game, opening up an 11-point advantage at 74-63.  The Saints went went 5/8 in garbage time from the free throw stripe to maintain their lead.

The best clutch player in the NBL Terrence Lewis proved he still has his 'a' game scoring 14 points from 21 minutes.  Troy McLean was an erratic 4/13 from the field but still amassed 14 points and four boards.  George Le'afa struggled with five turnovers, but did feed Rice well for six assists.  Reigning MVP Adrian Majstrovich did not start the contest and finished with six points from 26 minutes.  Damien Ekenasio drove well for eight points.  Wellington rode the curtails of Rice to shoot 49 per cent from the field overall and canned 21/30 free throws (70 per cent).

Canterbury was led by Joiner's 21 points and seven boards who mixed up jumpers with baseline drives, but the Rams still lacked a post presence.  Kench finished with 18 points and five boards and looked more confident from previous weeks.  Mychal Green had 17 points on 6/18 shooting, and appeared frustrated with the way the game was being called.  The Rams would have been happy only giving up 10 turnovers, but still surrendered 40 per cent of offensive boards chances to the Saints, which has been an prevalent problem in the opening weeks of the season.  They did force 20 turnovers from the more experienced Wellington side.

The Saints now travel to Otago to take on the Nuggets (1-1), who are coming off a win on St Patrick's Day over the Rams.  The Rams (0-4) face the dreaded Auckland double-header in Auckland next week, tipping off with the nationally televised game against the Heat on Thursday night.

Wellington Saints 85 (Andrew Rice 27, Terrence Lewis 14, Troy McLean 14)

Canterbury Rams 77 (Michael Joiner 21, Jeremy Kench 18, Mychal Green 17)

Halftime 44-46

BOXSCORE

Coach Sparks covers an option on  offence during the shoot-around The Rams huddle at the conclusion of shoot-around The team watches intently while Coach Sparks conducts the final team talk Members of the Rams Family from the crowd Rams during a time out This Photo: Dave Goosselink

18 March 2007 - GAME DAY WITH THE RAMS
by Piet Van Hasselt
NOTE: The following was written to provide an outline on the typical Scenic Circle Rams game day schedule on the road.  Special thanks to Rams players and coaches for their co-operation in this exclusive look into the team.
Photos: Piet Van Hasselt
The Scenic Circle Rams entered the St Patrick's Day game against traditional southern rivals the Cartridge World Otago Nuggets as a final part of their grueling opening week of the Domion Finance National Basketball League season, playing their third game in the space of seven days.  The team had previously lost their first two encounters at home against the Nelson Giants and the Auckland Stars.  After training every night over the week, and with the game on Thursday night, the team was given Friday night off from training, but they did have a breakfast meeting.  This is the first official 'Road Trip' for the regular season proper, following three days in Wellington for the Blitz Tournament a fortnight ago.

Traveling Team:
Guards: Jeremy Kench, Michael Green, Joel Hart, Ash Rees, Paul McFarlin
Forwards: Mark Morrison, Nathan Hyde, Michael Joiner
Centre: Mike Townsend
Unavailable: Rewi Manahi (work commitments)
Coach: Chris Sparks.  Assistant: Terry Brunel

SATURDAY 17 MARCH
8.00am Team Assembles at Christchurch Airport
The team assembles bright and early time of 8:00am for their 8:45am flight to Dunedin.  Everyone is in good spirits as discussions centre around last night's NBL games and the first round of the NCAA tourney, including the upset of Duke by VCU.  Half the team visits the TV lounge to check out the Black Caps opening game of the Cricket World Cup.  Things were not looking good for the Black Caps at 73/4 as the boarding call is made (thankfully that was the last wicket to fall and NZ is steered home by Scott Styris and Jacob Oram).

10:00am Arrival at Dunedin Airport
After a 60-minute flight the team is greeted to Dunedin by a bright and sunny day, and the tall frames are bundled into a roomy Ford Transit Van from usual supplier Thrifty Cars.  For those that haven't made the trip to Dunedin, the term 'Dunedin Airport' is very loosely applied, as it is located a good 30-minute away from the outskirts of the city.  This would be like Christchurch Airport being located in Ashburton or Hinds!  However the roads are clear and the team heads to the friendly confines of the Southern Cross Hotel (a Scenic Circle Hotel) to drop off their bags before a shoot-around at the stadium.  Players are roomed in groups of two.
 

12:00pm Shoot-around at Edgar Centre (60 minutes)
This is an ideal time for the players to become accustomed to the Edgar Centre rims and their line of sight when shooting.  While the term 'shoot-around' may sound casual, its far from it.  Following a warmup, Coach Chris Sparks and Brunel runs the team through their offensive plays and patterns.  Specifics and various options are stressed.  Coach Brunel, a former Ram and current player in Christchurch Club ball for Checkers White, steps into the fray at times during the 5-on-5 action due to the unavailability of Rewi Manahi (work commitments).  The team is training on the centre court of the three-court venue, with the arena seating still pulled back due to school Volleyball happening on the adjacent courts at this multi-purpose venue.   Sharpshooters Hart, Green and Kench remain on court momentarily to get more three-point shots up.  The stadium is just 10 minutes travel up Portsmouth Drive.

3:00pm Pregame Meal at the Hotel

The team assembles in the Carlton Room at the Southern Cross where they dine on energy loaded food.  Following dinner the team Coach Sparks conducts a team talk addressing opponent tendencies and how they will approach this key encounter.

5:45pm Leave for Stadium

Canterbury leave for the Edgar Centre where on arrival players go to the court to take more warm-up shots and soak up the atmosphere.  Ankles are strapped and water bottles filled.  Game administration tasks are undertaken including filling out the score sheet and indicating the starting five.  Pre game routines and rituals are followed by the players, including listening to tunes on mp3 players.

6:40pm Final Team Talk

Coach Sparks runs through his final tactics and repeats earlier player tendencies from the Nuggets inside the 'war room' of the visitors changing room.  Match-ups are assigned.  The team returns to the court and performs the normal final basketball warm-up routine of lay-ups, as the St Patrick's day crowd wanders into the Centre and tip-off approaches.  The Rams are supported on the sidelines by members of family, partners and friends who made the drive south for the game.  Of note was Nathan Hyde's family who had driven up from the deep south.

7:00pm Gametime

SEE GAME REPORT BELOW
Nuggets 102 Rams 88

9:30pm After match Function

Players, coaches, referees, sponsors and management assemble at The Terrace bar located on The Octagon for the after match function, just a short walk from the hotel for the Rams.   The courtside announcer from a local radio station hosts the speeches from opposing head coaches.  Talk emanates about the game and results from the other NBL games including the upset by the Auckland Stars over the Nelson Giants and how wide open the NBL is in the early stages of the season.

15 March 2007 - BALANCED STARS TRUMP RAMS

By Piet Van Hasselt
The Youthtown Auckland Stars showed poise when it counted to take advantage of the inexperienced Scenic Circle Rams at the Westpac Arena in Christchurch, 94-79.  Auckland was clearly on top during the first half, including a 15-point lead mid-way through the second quarter, before Canterbury surged back in the later stages of the third and tied the game in the fourth.  However both Rams Americans fouled out soon after and the Canterbury effort lost its way.  Auckland kept their mettle and finished the game on a 12-0 run to blow out the final score line.  This result will send a message to the rest of the NBL to not count out the Stars just yet after being snubbed by pundits in the pre season after losing the bulk of their bench to other franchises.

Auckland found plenty of gaps in the Canterbury zone defence in the first quarter, with four different players slotting three-pointers from uncontested shots.  Michael Joiner replaced Mike Townsend in the starting lineup for the home side and made early inroads into a big rebounding night after grabbing just one board in Sunday's opener against Nelson.  Auckland managed to push the lead out to double-figures at 24-14, and finished the quarter with a dunk from Casey Frank to lead 30-21.

The points kept coming for Auckland in the second, opening up a 45-30 lead, before Canterbury reeled off an 11-3 run thanks to Joiner down low and Joel Hart finding range from deep.  The Stars held a 49-41 advantage at the half.

Jeremy Kench got the home side going in the third quarter as they closed the deficit to one after a pair of Mark Morrison three-pointers at 60-59.  Tashaan Forehan-Kelly provided a counter-punch for Auckland with six points before being tagged with his fourth foul, but Tait eased the visitors back in the lead to finish out the quarter, 68-63.

Canterbury tied the ballgame at 68-all following a Hart three-pointer early in the fourth.  Poor free throw shooting from Auckland allowed the Rams to remain close following repeated misses from the field by the home side.  Fouls continued to rack up for Canterbury and as Joiner and Mychal Green fouled out.  The Rams lacked structure down the stretch while Auckland were able to score in transition.

Lindsay Tait led the way for Auckland, who were missing Dillon Boucher due to injury, with 23 points, six assists and a rare three blocked shots.  He burned a hole on the Westpac Arena's free throw stripe going 10/17 attempts after sucking fouls on drives to the hole.  Tait had an unfortunate finish giving the Rams crowd a one-finger salute after chants of "Lindsay's a girls name" were screamed in the fourth quarter.  Coach Kenny Stone to his credit quickly substituted Tait to quell any more retaliation.  Tait also nailed a full-court shot but it was judged to be launched after the buzzer to end the first quarter.  American guard Tashaan Forehan-Kelly had a successful debut from his foul plagued 21 minutes chiming in with three-point bombs when they were most needed (3/3) and finished with 21 points and eight boards.  Casey Frank was effective at both ends accumulating 17 points and 14 boards and had a pair of huge jams.  The Stars other American Daniel Lambert toiled away for 16 points, 14 rebounds and five assists from 34 minutes.  Josh Clark made the most of his chances going 3/7 from deep in his 13 points.

Canterbury's American forward appeared to be over his rust from the season opener, skying high to grab 16 rebounds and maneuver his way along the baseline for 16 points.  The only rest he received was when he able to be afforded came with four minutes to play and he had fouled out.  Mychal Green was the Rams most accurate shooter (4/9) for 14 points and appeared poised for a big finish before a questionable fifth foul was called on a charge/block situation in the fourth that forced their best scorer to the bench.  Following the judgement, Green was tagged with a technical foul after uncharacteristically throwing the ball towards the referee that had made the call.  Jeremy Kench was held scoreless in the first half but enjoyed success in the second, scoring 16 points and driving hard to create free throws opportunities (8/9) of his own against his rival Tait.  Joel Hart caught fire in the second quarter with three triples and played most of the rest of the game for 12 points and two steals in 26 minutes.

Both sides struggled to find the basket in the second half, mainly thanks to tightening defences, but Auckland were supreme overall going 47 per cent from the field and 8/21 from three-point land.  Their only glaring wayward shooting was 59 per cent accuracy from the foul line (24/41).  Canterbury combined for 30 per cent overall, and a miserable 24 per cent in the second half.  They were however much improved at the charity line going 24/29 (83 per cent).

Both teams now face the tail end of their double-headers with games on St Patrick's Day.  The Stars (1-1) take on the Giants (2-0) in Nelson, while Canterbury travel to Dunedin to play the Nuggets (0-1). 

Youthtown Auckland Stars 94 (Lindsay Tait 23, Tashaan Forehan-Kelly 21, Casey Frank 17, Daniel Lambert 16, Josh Clark 13)
Scenic Circle Rams 79 (Jeremy Kench 16, Michael Joiner 16, Mychal Green 14, Joel Hart 12, Mark Morrison 12)

Halftime 49-41
BOXSCORE

GAME HIGHLIGHTS

Produced by Vidhost - Phil Benoit

www.youtube.com/canterburybasketball

POSTGAME INTERVIEWS

Produced by Vidhost - Phil Benoit

Jeremy Kench and Coach Chris Sparks

www.youtube.com/canterburybasketball

11 March 2007 - PACE NEAR TRIP-DUB AS GIANTS CRUISE

By Piet Van Hasselt

Nelson Giants 84 (Ed Book 26, Josh Pace 21, Faron Hand 18, Mika Vukona 14)
Canterbury Rams 71 (Mychal Green 28, Jeremy Kench 18)

Halftime 40-32

BOXSCORE

9 March 2007 - RAMS UPDATE WITH COACH SPARKS

Hosted on www.youtube.com/canterburybasketball
Talking Preseason results, Michael Joiner arrival, First Home Game Sunday