Week 8 of the Turtles Mixed Basketball Competition started with Moana Sands taking on www.cookislands.travel and what a super tight game.
Both teams were evenly matched and hungry for points, going basket for basket from the first minute to the last.
Star shooters Teumere Heather for CITravel and Ronaldo Parcon for Moana Sands were at the ready. Moana Sands June George was everywhere fearlessly taking on opponents twice her size (but with half her will) and coming up with the ball.
By half time Moana Sands were up two points, seven minutes left in the second half it was 21-all and still anyones game.
Ultimately it was CITravels scoremaster Teumere Heathers 16 points that tipped the balance to CItravels favour by one point 25-24.
Game two saw Airport Jets up against Audiball. The last time these teams played each other the outcome was heavily in Audiballs favour (24points), but it all went upside down on Tuesday.
The Jets have consistently upped their game throughout the tournament and always showed glimpses of what couldve been.
On Tuesday the planets aligned and everything they did made sense.
The Jets rigorous defence kept Audiballs scoring opportunities low and dividends were paid at the other end of the court with almost all set plays orchestrated by Pae Papai.
A combination of savvy feeding of the ball into the inside by Pae, endless rebounding by Tupa Tupa, and the whole team making excellent shooting decisions led to a well deserved win, an eye opening 46 Jets to 18 Audiball.
The final game of the night may have been a precursor to the finals of the tournament.
The grades two top teams (points wise) stepped into the arena Chipmunks and Pacific Aquanaughties.
Play was intense with both teams full of dangerous shooters and few errors in handling. Game play went back and forth and basket for basket but Chipmunks were hamstrung by a 5 point uniform violation (yes it still happens), and Pacific Aquanaugties started to pull away. Excellent positional play by the Aquanaughties Alanna Smith and Luciana Matenga made inside point scoring look almost easy, rubbing salt into the wound. By the end it was Pacific Aquanaughties again taking the win 28-17.
Week nine starts at 6pm at the TSA tonight and everyone is welcome.
Although all games are top entertainment, the one most nerve-wracking for the teams will be Audiball vs Chipmunks at 7.40pm if Audiball wins, the dream of going to the finals will be only one more win away from reality.
Tonights draw 6pm Moana Sands vs Airport Jets, 6.50pm CITravel vs Pacific Aquanaughties, 7.40pm Audiball vs Chipmunks