Late Fightback Falls Short Against Canterbury
The Mills Albert Wellington Saints were unable to overcome a difficult first half, falling 98-88 to The Wheeler Motor Company Canterbury Rams at TSB Arena on Sunday afternoon.
Canterbury set the tone early, responding to an energetic opening from Carlin Davison, who knocked down a deep three and recorded an early block. Walter Brown quickly found his rhythm from long range, leading a hot shooting start for the Rams.
Strong rebounding and efficient offence helped Canterbury control the opening quarter, building a 27-17 lead after 10 minutes.
The visitors extended their advantage in the second quarter with relentless three point shooting and disciplined defence. The Saints found success attacking the basket but were unable to slow the Rams' offence, who stretched the margin to 25 points.
One of the highlights of the half came from Jake Holmes, who blocked a shot on one end before racing the length of the floor, spinning past defenders for an and-one finish. Despite the effort, the Saints trailed 58-33 at halftime.
Wellington responded with far greater intensity after the break. The Saints chipped away at the deficit throughout the third quarter, with Davison providing the spark. He capped off the period in spectacular fashion, throwing down a buzzer beating dunk to cut the margin to 79-64 heading into the fourth.
The comeback continued in the final quarter as the Saints reduced a 25 point deficit to 10. Davison and Elijah Pepper combined to keep the pressure on with strong drives and smart footwork, but Canterbury continued to answer through the experience of Rene Rougeau and timely offensive execution.
Despite winning the second half, the Saints were unable to complete the comeback, with the Rams holding on for a 98-88 victory.
Pepper led Wellington with 27 points, five rebounds and nine assists, while Davison added 16 points, six rebounds and five assists.
Brown finished with 23 points for Canterbury, while Todd Withers recorded 18 points and nine rebounds. Tamenang Choh produced an outstanding all around performance with 16 points, six rebounds and 11 assists.
Rapid League
The Mills Albert Pathways Wellington Saints produced one of the finishes of the season, defeating the Mad Butcher Canterbury Rams 44-43 on a buzzer beating three pointer from Arana Robertson.
The Saints started strongly, with Keelan Magalogo attacking the basket and Sam Gold controlling the glass to help Wellington build a 14-8 first quarter lead. They maintained their advantage through the second period to head into halftime leading 23-15.
Canterbury lifted the intensity after the break, opening the second half with quick scores before edging ahead 33-32 at the end of the third quarter.
The final quarter remained close throughout, with neither side able to create separation. The Rams took a 43-41 lead with only seconds remaining, leaving the Saints with one final possession after a timeout.
Robertson delivered when it mattered most, knocking down a game winning three pointer with 2.4 seconds remaining to seal a thrilling 44-43 victory for Wellington.
Robertson finished with 16 points, two rebounds and three assists, while Gold added eight points and five rebounds.
For Canterbury, Milan Newton scored 12 points and Tony Worthington contributed 10 points.
