Bulls charge home with 40-point fourth period
- NZ Sports Wire
- 5 days ago
- 2 min read
When they needed it most, the Franklin Bulls got hot to take down the Canterbury Rams in the National Basketball League (NBL).
The Logik Bulls missed just four shots from the field as they put up 40 points in the fourth quarter on the way to a 103-94 win over the Rams in the Sal's NBL in Pukekohe on Wednesday night.
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Import guard Tae Hardy scored 14 of his game-high 30 points, while the Cameron brothers, Flynn and Tobias, combined for 17 points, including four three-pointers, as the Bulls outscored the Rams 40-25 on the run home.
Hardy went 12-of-20 from the field, making a pair of triples, to go with four rebounds, six assists and two steals, while the Camerons and Tall Blacks forward Ethan Rusbatch all had 19 points.
Tobias Cameron finished with 19 points (5/10 FG, 3/6 3pt, 6/7 FT), nine boards, four assists and two steals, his younger brother Flynn 19 points (7/13 FG, 3/8 3pt), four boards and two steals, and Rusbatch 19 points (7/14 FG, 3/8 3pt), three assists and two steals.
The result ended the Canterbury's four-game winning streak, while it sent the Bulls to the top of the standings at 5-2, a half-game ahead of five teams, including the Rams.
Tall Blacks forward Tohi Smith-Milner led the Rams with 23 points (7/13 FG, 4/9 3pt, 5/6 FT) and six rebounds, supported by national teammate Taylor Britt's 19 points (7/16 FG, 4/5 FT) and four assists.
In his first game of the season, the Rams' second import CJ Penha put up 18 points (8/15 FG, 2/7 3pt), 10 rebounds and two steals, while Walter Brown had his best game of the season to date, with 15 points (6/10 FG) and 10 boards.
Franklin surged clear by as many as 14 points in the opening quarter and it was a similar story in the second period, before Canterbury closed within 10 at the main break.
Keyed by 10 straight points, including two triples, from Penha, the visitors went on a 17-4 run in the back-end of a 30-14 third quarter to take a six-point lead.
But the Bulls found their groove in the fourth, with a 16-3 burst springing them clear, before another 10-2 run put them ahead double-digits with 2:17 remaining.
The Bulls (5-2) are off until Wednesday, when they travel to Dunedin to take on the Otago Nuggets (3-3), while the Rams (4-2) back up on Friday (tip-off 7.30pm) at home against the Manawatu Jets (4-2).
In a high-scoring and free-flowing Sky Broadband Rapid League game, the Bulls got significant contributions from six players, led by Harrison Coker-Grey's 12 points, to defeat the Rams 54-46. Tama Isaac had 24 points for the visitors.
Franklin Bulls 103 (Tae Hardy 30, Flynn Cameron 19, Tobias Cameron 19, Ethan Rusbatch 19) Canterbury Rams 84 (Tohi Smith-Milner 23, Taylor Britt 19, CJ Penha 18, Walter Brown 15). 1Q: 29-20, HT: 49-39, 3Q: 63-69