Win eases Sharks’ road worries

The Southland Sharks have won their first game on the road in the 2015 National Basketball League.

The Sharks beat Manawatu 106-93 last night to take their 2015 record to six wins and three losses.

Despite winning the last four games at home, Southland had lost all three away games before the showdown with Manawatu in Palmerston North.

The victory has eased some concerns about the road record, although the win wasn’t entirely convincing.

The Sharks started positively when they went up 24-18 at the end of the first quarter.

Duane Bailey led the way for Southland early in the game in the scoring department.

With Tai Wesley also a scoring presence, Southland led 52-46 at the halftime break. However, the third quarter was when it got concerning for Southland, and when Manawatu pounced.

Manawatu went from being eight down early in the third quarter to lead by 10 at the midway point of the third period.

The Sharks reduced the margin to three heading into the final quarter and then went about trying to close out the game.

It took a while for Southland to shrug free of Manawatu as they trailed by five midway through the final quarter. However, when they started the charge Southland never let up and ended up outscoring Manawatu 33-17 in the last quarter to grab a 13-point victory.

Wesley was massive for the Sharks contributing 24 points and 10 rebounds, while Adrian Majostrovich gets better with each outing. Majostrovich picked up 24 points and was a key figure in propelling Southland in the final quarter surge.

The Sharks will have little time to reflect on the win as 24 hours later, in New Plymouth, they take on Taranaki.

In the other NBL game played last night, the Waitakere Rangers beat Hawke’s Bay 96-87.