Saints Split Northern Road Trip

The Mills Albert Wellington Saints wrapped up a challenging road double-header with a tough loss followed by a strong bounce-back win, showing resilience and depth in the absence of star guard Shea Ili, who was sidelined with concussion symptoms.

Friday: Saints Edged Out by Tauranga Whai (78–82)
In Tauranga on Friday night, the Saints came up short in a hard-fought battle against The Northern Group Tauranga Whai, falling 78–82 in front of a raucous home crowd.

Despite the loss, import big man Nicholas Muszynski delivered a monster performance, tallying 22 points and a dominant 18 rebounds. Izayah Mauriohooho Le'Afa stepped up in the backcourt, posting a double-double with 17 points and 11 assists.

The Whai were led by Tall Blacks guard Mojave King, who poured in 29 points and pulled down six rebounds. Kruz Perrott-Hunt added 14 points and four assists to help secure the win for the home side.

Sunday: Saints Outlast Tuatara in Auckland (90–83)
Just two days later, the Saints bounced back in style, taking down the  Jadcup Auckland Tuatara 90–83 at Eventfinda Stadium in a statement win.

Nick Marshall led the way with 25 points and 11 rebounds in a complete two-way effort, while Izayah Le’Afa continued his stellar weekend with 24 points and eight assists. The Saints played with toughness and cohesion, taking control in the final quarter and closing out the game with poise.

Buay Tuach led the Tuatara with 18 points and 8 boards, while veteran Rob Loe chipped in 16 points and 11 rebounds.

Next Up: Saints Return Home to Te Rauparaha Arena This Sunday
The Mills Albert Saints return to home soil this Sunday as they host the Otago Nuggets at Te Rauparaha Arena, a trip to Porirua 10 years in the making. Tip-off is set for 4:00 PM.

With Shea Ili’s status still day-to-day, the Saints will be looking to ride the momentum from Sunday’s win and feed off the home crowd energy as they continue their playoff push.

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