Auckland squeezes home over Waikato

Press, 26 June 1989, Page 34

Auckland squeezes home over Waikato

PA - Hamilton Auckland showed the composure that makes a champion in its 126-121 extra time win over Waikato in a national league basketball match on Saturday. Few people would have picked Auckland to have to claw its way back from a 20-point deficit and go to extra time before taking the points. Waikato dictated the pace for much of the game, but in the end Auckland’s superior rebounding and the rousing of Rodney Johns was too much for the home team.

Johns was a spectator for much of the match netting only three points in the first half, 13 in the second and in overtime, he scored another seven.

Benny Anthony and Byron Vaetoe kept the momentum going for Auckland when Johns was in his dull period, and Vaetoe was a force at both ends with an excellent game under the boards. But even they were outshone by Ronnie Joyner who kept Waikato in the game with his tally of 58 points.

Waikato led 59-43 . at halftime and extended its lead early in the second half until with 12min to play, it held its biggest lead of the match 8363. Then Auckland fought back and Waikato shooters struck a brick wall. The lead was whittled until Auckland drew level 105-105 with 21s of an exciting second half left. Waikato had the ball but tight defence and a near.-steal from Johns kept it from shooting and Mike Foster’s attempted three pointer on the buzzer fell short. After its big rally late in the game, Auckland was favoured to dominate the extra period and it did, knocking in four points before Waikato got any. Two key Waikato men, Mark Clark and guard Warren Daniels, fouled out and the game was as good as Auckland’s.

Vaetoe sunk two final free throws on the final buzzer to take his tally to 36 and his team’s to 126.

• A guard with a golden touch spelled defeat for Nelson in its national league

basketball match at Trafalgar Centre on Saturday. Hawke’s Bay’s league leading American Jamie Dixon poured in 55 points to overturn an 11-point half-time deficit and carry his team home a 103-97 winner.

Hawke’s Bay’s game plan is simple — get the ball to Dixon. By half-time his 22 points were 18 more than his next highest scoring teammate.

Nelson controlled the tempo in the first spell, breaking the visitors’ full court press and feeding its own points machine, Lamar Harris.

Harris dunked, drove the lane and scored from outside in gathering 24 first-half points. He was backed up by Kenny Stone who led the Nelson defensive effort, shutting out Hawke’s Bay centre Eric Clarke. Scores:

Hawke’s Bay 103 (Jamie Dixon 55, Eric Clark 24, Jack Mitchell 8). Nelson 97 (Lamar Harris 43, Kenny Stone 17, James Campion 16). H-T: Nelson 52, Hawke’s Bay 41.