Saints lose second match on end

Press, 1 May 1989, Page 30

Saints lose second match on end

PA Wellington Defending champions Saints suffered a surprise 104-103 loss to Hawke’s Bay in the fifth round of the Countrywide Basketball league on Saturday night. It was the Wellington side’s second one-point loss on end — it was edged by Auckland the previous Sunday — falling to fourth place on the league table headed by unbeaten Palmerston North.

Saints, troubled in the past by Hawke’s Bay on its home court, was rattled early in the match by its free-running hosts, who never let the bet-ter-personnelled outfit settle into its rhythm. Shaken up, Saints drew level, at 47-47, just before the break but could not contain the exuberance of the hosts who, having hit 100, led by seven points with just under three and a half minutes remaining.

Though Saints came with a spirited late charge, Hawke's Bay hung bn for victory. Imports James Dixon and Eric Clarke were the key players for Hawke’s Bay. Dixon ran riot in offence, scoring a match-high 49 points, while Clarke, who scored 21 points, threw a strait-jacket on Saints centre Neil Stephens — restricting him to just 16 points. Hawke’s Bay’s lesser lights also outplayed their more vaunted opponents.

Palmerston North maintained its run with a freeflowing 115-100 win over Waitemata. However, there will be some concern in the league leader’s camp over the injury which saw centre Stan Hill make an early exit from the match. Palmerston North’s everreliable scoring guard Tyrone Brown, ably supported by veteran Alan Stenhouse, laid the

foundation for the team’s fifth win on end.

They potted at will — Stenhouse was particularly effective from the three-point line — and marshalled their young team mates well. Auckland was pushed to the buzzer to beat winless New Plymouth, 80-76.

In the other match North Shore overpowered Nelson, 111-100. The Otago women’s basketball team had no problems in chalking up its second national first division win of the season when it cruised to a comfortable 93-73 win over Palmerston North, at the Dunedin Stadium, yesterday. Otago had too many guns for Palmerston North from the outset and quickly sprang out to a 20-11 lead after only ten minutes, and had extended this to 49-32 at the break.