Basketball: Taranaki beaten by Whai in playoffs

NZ Sports Wire

Photo: John Velvin

After just scraping into the National Basketball League (NBL) playoffs, the Tauranga Whai are now into the Final Four.

With assistant coach Tane Bennett in charge, the sixth-seeded Whai clamped down defensively and routed the favoured Taranaki Airs 83-67 at New Plymouth's TSB Stadium on Wednesday night.

The reward for the second-year Whai is a matchup with the regular season champion Wellington Saints (16-4) at TSB Arena in the second semifinal on Sunday (tip-off 3pm).

Former NZ Breakers guard Mojave King provided the offensive, scoring a game-high 31 points (11/20 FG, 4/9 3pt, 5/7 FT) to go with four rebounds and three steals, while Anzac Rissetto and Sean Murphy took care of things in the paint.

Kiwi big Rissetto put up 17 points (7/12 FG, 3/7 FT), 10 rebounds and blocks, while Australian forward Sean Murphy contributed nine points, 11 rebounds and two blocks.

Breakers small forward Sean Bairstow had a complete game, with nine points, seven boards and seven assists, NZ guard Kruz Perrott-Hunt 10 points (2/5 FG, 5/8 FT) and six rebounds, and Jayden Bezzant seven points and five assists off the bench.

Another Breaker, Kiwi forward Carlin Davison, recorded a triple-double for Taranaki in the loss, going for 21 points (9/19 FG), 12 rebounds and 10 assists, along with two steals and two blocks.

American wing Armon Fletcher was the only other Airs player in double-digits, with 16 points (6/12 FG, 2/5 3pt) and two steals, while Dom Kelman Poto added nine points off the bench.

Taranaki led for all of 1 minute 59 seconds in the game, early in the first period, but the Whai soon took control, ahead nine after the first quarter. They stretched it to 12 by the main break and 19 through three quarters.

After falling behind by 23 early in the fourth, the Airs made some inroads, briefly cutting the gap to 10 points with an 18-5 run, but it only gave their fans false hope.

The NBL Playoffs continue on Thursday night when the fourth-seeded Southland Sharks host the Auckland Tuatara at ILT Stadium Southland in Invercargill (tip-off 7pm).

Tauranga Whai 83 (Mojave King 31, Anzac Rissetto 17, Kruz Perrott-Hunt 10) Taranaki Airs 67 (Carlin Davison 21, Armon Fletcher 16). 1Q: 21-12, HT: 43-31, 3Q: 67-48