Round 7 of the NZNBL commenced on Friday the 16th of May 2014 and concluded on Sunday the 18th of May 2014.

Fico Finance Giants 77-82 IMS Payroll Hawks

The Hawke’s Bay Hawks stellar start to the season has continued with a great road win over the Nelson Giants on Friday night. Everard Bartlett played 35 minutes for the Hawks and was brilliant with 20 points and four assists. In such a tight contest throughout the night, it was the little things that made the difference. Jarrod Kenny scored 12 points and six assists while Kareem Johnson was the only player with a double double (11 points, 10 rebounds).

For the home side, it was Finn Delany stood out with 19 points and six rebounds, while Josh Pace continued his good form with 17 points and eight rebounds.

Zerofees Southland Sharks 92-88 Advice First Waikato Pistons

A fourth quarter surge from the Southland Sharks has seen them edge out another hard fought win, this time over the Waikato Pistons.

Down seven at the main break, the Sharks ended up piling on a 27-18 final term to seal a four point win. Kevin Braswell was unbelievable with 39 points and five assists, playing all forty minutes. Braswell was guided by Brian Conklin’s great play, going for 25 points and 12 rebounds with the pair going to the free throw line 26 times.

Credit: Photo Credit: Monica Toretto - Southland Sharks photographer

The Pistons weren’t without their superstars, with Akeem Wright dropping 26 points while Corin Henry had 20 points of his own to go with seven assists. The introduction of Dyson King-Hawea may have arrived as he scored nine points and seven rebounds off the bench.

The Good Home Mountainairs 99-92 Canterbury Rams

The ‘Airs run of fortune continues with a solid victory over lowly placed Canterbury Rams. With the Rams struggling and already on the back foot throughout the second quarter, Taranaki were able to pounce and cruise from there on in for the win.

Four players stood in Canterbury’s way, with the ‘Airs ‘Big 4’ made up all bar four of the home teams points. Adrian Oliver was everywhere with 30 points, eight rebounds and four assists, while teammates Suleiman Braimoh (25 points, 16 rebounds), Aaron Bailey-Nowell (20 points, 5 rebounds) and Brad Anderson (20 points) all chipped in tremendously.

As the Rams were much more spread, it certainly didn’t help them with points on the scoreboard, as Glen Dandridge was the only player to reach 20+ points (23 points, 9 rebounds). Marcel Jones played well with 18 points and 14 rebounds in the loss.

OceanaGold Nuggets 85-91 OT Advice First Waikato Pistons

In game of the round, the Waikato Pistons have erased a six point three quarter time deficit and a three point deficit with just second remaining to scamper to a massive six point road victory over the Otago Nuggets in overtime.

With the game needing a hero, Pero Cameron inserted Karl Noyer onto the floor for the first time to knock down a clutch triple which sent the game to overtime, from there Noyer played another minor role (despite just 45 seconds of game time), lifting his team to push them over the edge which included another bucket and an assist.

The dominating duo of Akeem Wright (28 points, 9 rebounds) and Corin Henry (26 points, 9 rebounds) was at it again as they caused the Nuggets trouble throughout the evening. Despite horrendous shooting (1-9FG), Casey Frank (9 points, 11 rebounds, 5 assists) stepped up in other areas to play a vital role in the win.

Mark Dickel (27 points, 7 rebounds, 4 assists) was the star for the home side who thought they were coming away with a well deserved win, while Warren Carter was brave with 21 points, five rebounds and four assists.

James Blond Supercity Rangers 112-97 Canterbury Rams

Off the back of mighty showings from Daryl Corletto and Jason Cadee, the Supercity Rangers have easily accounted for the Rams at home in the final game of the round.

With both stars scoring 28 points each, their efficient shooting (Corletto 10/14FG, Cadee 11/17FG) led their team to shoot a massive 62% from the floor for game! Duane Bailey (23 points, 10 rebounds) and Patrich Bolstad (19 points, 7 rebounds) were just as good from the field and were the driving forces of the Rangers big runs in the second and third quarters.

For the Rams, it was more of a defensive struggled after a successful first quarter. Points were easy to come by on Sunday with a plethora of players etching double figures, notably Glen Dandridge (21), Matt Rogers (19) and Marcel Jones (19).

For more information regarding the NZNBL, please head to their website, here.