Hesitant start for D.B. Auckland

Press, 3 August 1985, Page 80

Hesitant start for D.B. Auckland

From

FRANK DUGGAN,

in Wellington

D.B. Auckland made a hesitant start to regaining the Countrywide national basketball championship at the Wellington Show and Sports Centre last evening.

In a dramatic first half, in which somebody inadvertently pulled the plug out of the time mechanism, Auckland struggled to lead Supersport Hamilton, 37-35, in an abbreviated first half, but showed its class in the third and fourth quarters to eventually win, 105-89. It would have been lucky if the first half had been no

longer than 12 of the normal 20 minutes. After it was found that the clock was not working, a stop watch was used, and this also proved inadequate.

Evidence of the shortened first half was seen by Auckland scoring 70 points in the second half and Hamilton 57.

Hamilton immediately lodged a protest over the result.

Auckland swept away to an early lead, but Hamilton applied a full press in the last quarter to catch up. However, it was one-way traffic in the second half. New Zealand’s outstand-

ing forward and a former Canterbury player, Stan Hill, scored 38 points and never missed a shot from 10 attempts in the second half. Benny Anthony was the outstanding defensive player for Auckland and got 27 points, while the former Nelson player, Jacques Tuz, got 30 points, including five three-pointers in the second half.

Zac Jones was something of a one-man band in a disappointing Hamilton side. He scored 37 points, while others to feature were Walter Mitchell (18), and the New Zealand guard, Tony Smith, also 18.