Checkers force third game

Press, 14 August 1978, Page 3

Checkers force third game

A tremendous fight-back by Checkers forced the, men’s “Best of Three” match : senior basketball final to a ‘ third game after the team j beat the national champion, ' Jaks-H.5.0.8., in the second): round. ! Jaks had taken the first 1 game on Saturday, 66-55, but lost yesterday's game, 1 68-74. ’ ) The deciding match will’ be played next Saturday. * Jaks badly missed its ’ usual tall front men, John . Hill, Stu Ferguson and David Usmar, who were in ’ Auckland preparing to leave • for the Commonwealth bas- ‘ ketball championships in c Britain. Checkers, too, were . handicapped without the national representative, John Fairweather. Jaks-H.5.0.8., 66, Checkers A 55 The first match of the) final, played on Saturday,) was a rather lacklustre affair, riddled with fundamental errors by both sides. The first half was very even throughout, and Checkers were trailing by only a single point, 19-20, when the hooter sounded, but Jaks opened the second spell with more determination and began to score more freely. Matt Ruscoe and John Whelan combined well .with Ed Manco to score many good baskets, and Checkers, going through a bad patch at this stage, were dismayed to see their captain, Dennis Barry, ordered from the court after a centre-court tete-a-tete with Jaks’ John Wright. Checkers tried to make a

comeback but Jaks led 46-32 by then. Determined'play by Geoff Longley and Alan Bigwood for Checkers brought some measure of parity back to the match, but Jaks ran out the winner by a comfortable 11-point margin. Checkers 74, Jaks-H.5.0.8. 68 Jaks started the second game yesterday with good team work and a solid will to win, and after only 10 minutes had a deserved lead of 21-12. But Checkers would not be cowed, and good work from Wright, who was in devastating form, and Barry, playing at his usual standard, allowed Checkers to sneak into a three-point lead, 38-35, by half time.

Early in the second half, Checkers piled on more pressure, upsetting the usual free-flowing game of Jaks. Checkers’ shooting was of a very high standard, and the lead had been extended to 11 points just 10 minutes into the spell. Wright and Whelan led a Jaks revival at this stage, and inspired basketball let Jaks draw level at 64-all with only four minutes remaining. But Carl Dickel suddenly found form for Checkers, and his accurate shots were sufficient to keep his team in front. He scored the last basket with a lovely 12-metre hook shot with time showing on the clock.

First final.— Jaks-HSOB 66 (J. Whelan 22, M. Rusco 18, J. Wright 11) beat Checkers 55 (C. Dickel 15, G. Longley ID-

Second final.-— Checkers 74 (D. Barry 20, P. Daigneault 15, P. Randle 11, C. Dickel 10) beat JaksHSOB 68 (J. Wright 20, J. Whelan 16, M. Ruscoe 15, T. Guthrie 11).

In other club matches at Cowles Stadium, Y.M.C.A. scored an exciting victory over Mairehau, while Aranui Old Boys beat Bumside A. Y.M.C.A. 75, Mairehau 67 This game was more exciting than the final that preceded it. Y.M.C.A. was looking for its first win of the season against Mairehau, and in a splendid start, the team had notched 20 points before Mairehau had sunk a single basket.

But a determined fightback by Mairehau closed the gap to 41-35 by half-time. The second half was a very even contest, and Y.M.C.A just outlasted Mairehau to win 75-67. Aranui 0.8. 64, Bumside A

A good team effort by Aranui allowed the team to score its third win of the season over Bumside, but the young school team tried everything in an attempt to break through the tight Aranui defence. Aranui’s break in the game came half-way through the first spell, when the team scored 12 points to two, and the lead of 38-33 at half-time was well deserved.

Burnside kept in the hunt through determined play from the captain, Brent Cummack, who top-scored with 19 points. But it was not enough, and the final score was a fair reflection of the match.