NBS Men's League – Week 10 Recap

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Game 1: Eagles 88 – 127 Nomads

The first game of the night saw the bottom-seeded Eagles take on Nomads. Starting the game with just four players, the Eagles came out strong and kept the game close early,

trailing just 28–32 at the end of the first quarter.

Two additional Eagles players arrived during the game, eventually taking their numbers to six. Nomads began to pull away in the second quarter, with Nick Fechney leading the charge. Fechney knocked down an impressive eight three-pointers in the first half, helping

Nomads extend their lead to 65–48 at halftime.

Nomads Nick Fenchey attempts one of his many 3 pointers of the night

Nomads continued their outstanding shooting from beyond the arc throughout the game, finishing with 18 three-pointers at 50% shooting — the highest three-point shooting percentage recorded by a team in the NBS Men’s Grade this season. Fechney was responsible for 12 of those 18 three-pointers, fi

Nomads Matt "Spud" Tait looks for the open player

nishing the game with an incredible 42 points.

Nomads’ ability to push the ball in transition, combined with their sharp shooting from the perimeter, made them difficult to contain. Their fast-break offence created plenty of scoring opportunities and helped Nomads finish with an impressive 30 assists.

The rebounding battle saw Nomads pull down 45 rebounds — 10 offensive and 35 defensive, compared with the Eagles’ 37 rebounds — 9 offensive and 28 defensive. The Eagles also created opportunities defensively, finishing the game with nine steals.

It was also a complete team scoring effort, with every player on both teams getting on the scoreboard.

Despite the Eagles continuing to battle, Nomads’ fast-paced offence, sharp shooting and ability to capitalise in transition proved too much. Nomads went on to secure a 127–88 victory, handing the Eagles their biggest loss of the season.

Top Performances

Nomads

Nick Fechney — 42 points, 11 rebounds, 3 assists, 12/18 from three-point range
Riley Sa — 26 points, 13 rebounds, 4 assists, 6/6 from the free-throw line
Jet Aguila — 15 points, 10 assists, 8 rebounds
Ethan Reodique — 13 points, 4 assists, 2/3 from three-point range

Eagles

Marc Juntilla — 28 points, 6 rebounds, 3 steals, 4 three-pointers
Owen Torcende — 25 points, 3 assists

A huge night individually, with strong performances across both teams. Nomads were particularly impressive from three-point range and in transition, while Eagles had two players lead the scoring effort with 25+ points each

Game 2: Checkers 85 – 96 FDWNZ

The second game of the night saw Checkers take on FDWNZ in a closely contested matchup.

Checkers came into the game without their main point guard, Jack Spicer, who had been leading their scoring heading into the game. They were also without their leading rebounder, Riki Philpott, for most of the game, leaving the Checkers bench with an important role to play.

The game also marked the first appearance in a while for Tomo O’Brien as he returned from

injury.

Both teams came out firing, with very little separating them throughout the opening half. Checkers held a narrow 20–19 lead after the first quarter, before the teams went into halftime locked at 50–50.

FDWNZ managed to create some separation in the third quarter, but Checkers fought their way back into the contest, heading into the final quarter just five points behind at 77–72.

In the fourth quarter, FDWNZ put their foot down and pulled away, eventually securing a 96–85 victory.

With key players missing, Year 13 Ashcoll players and Mid Canterbury U19 Men’s players Liam Elliott and William Woods stepped up for Checkers, finishing with 21 and 16 points

respectively.

Checkers Arana Tamakaha at the free thowline

However, FDWNZ had plenty of firepower of their own. Graciano Puerto led the way with a smooth 24-point performance, while the shooting ability of the Buenafe family — father Randy and sons Ranz and Newel — proved difficult for Checkers to contain. FDWNZ combined for an impressive nine three-pointers.

Checkers, much like Nomads in the game before them, shot well from beyond the arc, finishing 6/12 from three-point range. They also dominated the rebounding battle, pulling down 52 rebounds compared with FDWNZ’s 34, including an impressive 24 offensive rebounds.

However, Checkers were unable to turn that rebounding advantage into enough points, with a number of uncharacteristic turnovers giving FDWNZ opportunities to run. FDWNZ applied strong defensive pressure throughout the game, forcing an incredible 17 steals — the highest team total we have seen in the NBS Men’s Grade this season.

FDWNZ made the most of those turnovers, converting many of their steals into points and using their transition offence to build their fourth-quarter lead.

Earl Cacho finishes the fast break after one of his 6 steals of the night

Despite missing key players, Checkers continued to compete throughout the game, while FDWNZ’s defensive pressure, shooting and ability to capitalise on turnovers ultimately proved the difference.

Top Performances

FDWNZ

Graciano Puerto — 24 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals, 3/8 from three-point range
Newel Buenafe — 21 points, 6/9 from three-point range, 4 steals
Randy Buenafe — 14 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals
Ranz Buenafe — 12 points, 3 assists, 3 three-pointers
Earl Cacho — 12 points, 6 rebounds, 6 steals, 2 assists