Mountain Airs mentally ready
The Taranaki Mountain Airs were quick to forget the scrap they had against Hawke’s Bay on Sunday. They got the win - that’s that.
‘‘The guys played very well in the last few minutes to pull out that win - well, they played better than the Hawks,’’ Augusta Mountain Airs captain Aaron Bailey-Nowell said. ‘‘We got the win and we’ve moved on.’’ The Mountain Airs now look toward their second double-header in as many weeks, hosting the Southland Sharks on Friday night before travelling to Auckland for a reverse fixture against the Super City Rangers.
‘‘It’s not unknown territory for us after that double-header last weekend. The boys travelled really well last weekend and the luxury is we get to fly up to Auckland this weekend rather than drive.
‘‘But it’s business as usual. Our main focus right now is to protect home court against the Sharks on Friday night and send our fans home happy.’’
The Mountain Airs face a strong Southland line-up in New Plymouth on Friday, with Derone Ruakawa, Alex Pledger, Duane Bailey, Reuben Te Rangi, Mitch Norton and Nick Kay all boasting ANBL experience.
‘‘They’ve got great depth in their squad. Most of the guys in that Southland team are proper professional ball players. It’s up to us to make sure we stop their running game and match up on defence.’’
The Mountain Airs have shown in the early stages of the season that they will again be a defensive force this season, with opposing teams averaging just 79 points per game through three games.
However, the Sharks have also shown their defensive prowess early on in 2017, holding opponents to just 73 points per game in their opening two matches.
‘‘It’s a tough ask, but there’s no excuses. It’s up to us to execute.’’
After two rounds of the season, the Mountain Airs sat third on the table with a 2-1 record, while the Sharks were back in fifth with a 1-1 record.
The battle to watch in the match will likely be the match up of the two big-men - Pledger for Southland and Daniel Gomis for Taranaki.
Heading into the match, Gomis was
averaging 10 points, 13 rebounds and two blocks per game, while Pledger averaged 19 points and nine rebounds.
Following Friday’s match, the Mountain Airs were set to fly to Auckland with the hope of getting one back against the Rangers, who beat the Taranaki side 85-81 in New Plymouth last Friday.
‘‘We’re definitely looking to do the same to them. They took that one off us, I thought. It was probably our own doing.’’
The Rangers will also head into their match on the back of a Friday night game, facing the Rams in Canterbury making it a level playing field in terms of fatigue.