A See-Saw Semi-Final Series for Creek and the Mets

Mitch Creek’s season with Mets de Guaynabo has come to an end after the team fell short in Game 7 of the semi-finals against Gigantes de Carolina this morning. 

The series was a see-saw event, with each team going in a win-loss pattern. Today's game decided who would advance to the BSN League grand finale. Unfortunately, Gigantes de Carolina was too strong, taking the win by 21 points.

The Mets turned their season around after beginning their campaign with a string of losses 1-8 but finished up with 21-15 and second on the competition's Group B ladder by the end of the regular season.

Creek continued a high-form performance season, averaging 18.4 points, 5.5 rebounds, 2.3 assists, and one steal across the 35 games he played in Puerto Rico. 

<blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/CuyCwEhOgAl/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14" style=" background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:540px; min-width:326px; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px);"><div style="padding:16px;"> <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CuyCwEhOgAl/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" style=" background:#FFFFFF; line-height:0; padding:0 0; text-align:center; text-decoration:none; width:100%;" target="_blank"> <div style=" display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; 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Anzac Drops Career-High 30 Piece

On Thursday night, Anzac Rissetto unleashed beast mode in the Taranaki Airs' 25-point win over the Nelson Giants. 

Rissetto had his best game to date, hitting a career-high 30 points, making 11/13 from the field at 84.6%.

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The Airs returned to the court on Saturday night and had a five-point upset win over the second-placed Otago Nuggets. Rissetto had a quiet night but had defensive moments with one steal and one block. 

The two wins on the weekend saw the Airs jump from the bottom of the ladder to seventh position but, ultimately, just missed out on finals. 

Finals Berth Secured for Foxwell’s Wildcats

Owen Foxwell and the Eltham Wildcats finished their home and away season in NBL1 South with two crucial wins over the weekend securing a finals campaign.

The Wildcats started their weekend with an 18-point win over rivals Diamond Valley Eagles. Foxwell continued his fine form from last round, recording a game-high 26 points and falling just short of a double-double with nine rebounds.

In Sunday's game, the Wildcats followed up with a seven-point win over Mt Gambier Pioneers. Foxwell was instrumental for his side with 12 points, six assists, and four rebounds. 

Finishing fifth on the ladder, the Wildcats now move on to the elimination final on Saturday, taking on the Waverley Falcons. If they win, they will move on to the semis to take on the loser of Knox Raiders and Sandringham Sabres.

(Foxwell and Eltham are off to the finals this coming weekend, with a must win to advance to the next round of finals. Photo: Ian Knight Photography)

Rapp Deadly off Bench

The Knox Raiders also ended their home and away season with two wins, cementing the top spot on the NBL1 South ladder. Austin Rapp was fierce in both games coming off the bench.

On Friday against Kilsyth Cobras, Knox were up 28-18 at the end of the first before the Cobras fought back; they out-scored Knox in the last quarter 26-19, but ultimately, Knox held onto the win by just one point. 

Rapp recorded 11 points and four rebounds in the win.

On Saturday, Knox had a more comfortable win over the Bendigo Braves by 37 points, with Rapp coming off the bench for 15 points and eight rebounds in 28 minutes. 

Knox moves onto the double chance final against Ben Ayre's fourth-placed Sandringham Sabres this Saturday, with the loser versing the winner of Eltham Wildcats and Waverley Falcons and the winner advancing to the preliminary final.

(Rapp was instrumental on the weekend for Knox when coming off the bench. Photos: Tre Surgers.)

13th Double-Double for Gak

After a defensive game last week, Gorjok Gak was back dominating at both ends for the Willetton Tigers in NBL1 West.

Gak picked up his 13th double-double for the season with 16 points and 12 rebounds (8 defensive) in the Tigers' 14-point win over the Mandurah Magic. 

Gak's performance hasn't gone unnoticed, as he was named a finalist for the NBL1 West defensive player award.

The Tigers are locked into the NBL1 West finals, with one home and away round remaining.

(Gak continues his dominance at both ends with his 13th double-double on the weekend. Photo: June Haliday.)

Focus Turns to the Finals for Ayre

Ben Ayre only laced up for one of two games for the Sandringham Sabres on the weekend. Sandringham went down by nine points to the Frankston Blues on Saturday with Ayre recording 24 points, five assists, and three rebounds. 

With Ayre being rested for the second game, Sandringham still bounced back in the second game for the weekend, winning by 10 points over the Melbourne Tigers.

Sandringham finished fourth on the NBL1 South ladder and now moves on to the qualifying final against Austin Rapp's Knox Raiders this Saturday.

Prelim Final for Te Rangi and Tuatara

Reuben Te Rangi's Auckland Tuatara also saw a loss on the weekend after leading most of the game against the Wellington Saints. The Saints overran Auckland in the final term, taking the win by nine points. Te Rangi still played well for Auckland with 18 points.

Tuatara now move on to the NZ NBL finals series this weekend. With Auckland finishing top of the ladder, they automatically advance to the preliminary final on Friday night, where they will verse the lowest seed winner out of the two games on Thursday night. They will move on to the Grand Final on Sunday if they are successful in the preliminary final.

The Results

Mitch Creek

Mets de Guaynabo 76-82 Gigantes de Carolina
Creek: 20 points, 6 rebounds, 1 assist.

Mets de Guaynabo 92-77 Gigantes de Carolina
Creek: 15 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists.

Mets de Guaynabo 90-93 Gigantes de Carolina
Creek: 22 points, 5 rebounds, 1 steal.

Mets de Guaynabo 73-94 Gigantes de Carolina
Creek: 14 points, 8 rebounds, 4 assists.

Anzac Rissetto

Taranaki Airs 108-82 Nelson Giants
Rissetto: 30 points, 4 rebounds.

Taranaki Airs 100-95 Otago Nuggets
Rissetto: 3 points, 1 steal, 1 block.

Owen Foxwell

Eltham Wildcats 97-69 Diamond Valley Eagles
Foxwell: 26 points, 9 rebounds, 7 assists, 1 steal.

Eltham Wildcats 95-88 Mt Gambier Pioneers
Foxwell: 12 points, 4 rebounds, 6 assists, 2 steals.

Austin Rapp

Knox Raiders 87-86 Kilsyth Cobras
Rapp: 11 points, 4 rebounds, 1 steal.

Knox Raiders 96-59 Bendigo Braves
Rapp: 15 points, 8 rebounds, 1 assist.

Gorjok Gak

Willetton Tigers 101-87 Mandurah Magic
Gak: 16 points, 12 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 block.

Ben Ayre

Sandringham Sabres 90-99 Frankston Blues
Ayre: 24 points, 3 rebounds, 5 assists.

Reuben Te Rangi

Auckland 93-102 Wellington Saints
Te Rangi: 18 points, 2 rebounds, 4 assists.

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