Auckland takes four-point basketball lead

Press, 15 July 1985, Page 44

Auckland takes four-point basketball lead

PA Wellington DB Auckland decisively defeated its closest rival, Exchequer Saints, and then scraped home against Cable Price Centrals to take a fourpoint lead in the Countrywide basketball league at the weekend.

Auckland’s 90-75 win over Saints, the defending league champions, was a triumph of the best defensive team in the country over the Wellington side’s outstanding attacking skills. And it was an important psychological blow for Auckland, with a SaintsAuckland clash being widely tipped as the probable league final on August 3. Auckland’s victory was based around big Stan Hill, currently contemplating a return to the New Zealand colours. He scored 30 points and his 17 rebounds helped Auckland retain a hold on the boards that the fiercely competitive Saints were unable to master. The Aucklanders were

forced to struggle harder yesterday before subduing Saints’ Wellington neighbours, Centrals, 114-110. Lowly Centrals stunned Auckland with a 54-51 halftime lead and the match was closely contested to the last minute. Hill was again outstanding for Auckland, scoring 47 points, while high-scoring guard Angelo Robinson shot 61 for Centrals. Other highlights of the weekend were the dramatic way Übix Palmerston North seized two one-point victories and a further skirmish in the war between the Leopard Napier Criterion coach John Dybvig and basketball’s referees. Tyrone Brown worked wonders for Palmerston

North on Saturday in a 98-97 win over luckless Centrals. The Wellington side seemed set for victory when leading 52-35 at half-time, only to see Brown inspire a comeback and score the last of his 50-point contribution almost on the final buzzer. Palmerston North repeated the trick to stay in contact with the league leaders in defeating Kennedy Equipment New Plymouth 84-83 yesterday. New Plymouth, as so often this season, started impressively, rushing to a 54-47 lead at the break. But it was the architect of its own misfortune in the final minute when a defensive error let Palmerston

North in. New Plymouth’s game against Ponsonby on Saturday was abandoned due to a slippery surface at the New Plymouth YMCA and will be replayed in about 10 days, The controversial Mr Dybvig, back on the bench for Napier after a suspension imposed by the Countrywide league executive had been found illegal pending an appeal, was sent from the stadium yet again as his bottom-placed side lost 86-104 to Hamilton Supersport. Mr Dybvig incurred three technical fouls, one of them through the action of one of his players, and was automatically expelled by the referee, just 27 seconds from the end of the game.