CANBERRA (Australia) - The Semi-Finals are now set at the FIBA U15 Oceania Cup 2024 as New Zealand, Tonga, and Samoa cliched victories in today's games in Canberra.
The action in the day started with the Classification 8-9 game where Cook Islands won 94-73 over New Caledonia.
The winners Cook Islands unleashed some of their frustration from previous losses and unleashed an offensive output that saw six players score in double-digits led by Rocco Brown's 20 points. Moreover, three of those players recorded double-doubles - Calvyn Valoa (12 points, 12 rebounds, 5 assists), Joshua Marsters (14 points, 14 rebounds), and Kobi Maeva (15 points, 12 rebounds).
Meanwhile, Melkior Roine also had a double-double for New Caledonia while leading all players with 24 points.
New Zealand followed that game with a confident win over Tahiti, 133-33. Coach Ben Sheat was able to rotate through the lineup and rest some key players, but in the end, all of the junior Tall Blacks got on the scoreboard with 8 players putting up at least 10 points.
"We just have to realize that every games a tough game," said Roma Tuimaunei, who scored 12 points on perfect shoting from the field. "We have to keep moving forward, can’t take anyone lightly. We gotta stay focused out there the whole time, really move forward and make our way to the Final."
The entire team shared the ball to the tune of 32 assists while making an efficient 57 field goals on 100 attempts. Noah Duncan led the team with 17 points, while Lawson Pryor added 15 points on 3 three-point shots made.
"It’s always about off court stuff," added Tuimaunei about why the team is doing well and how they will continue to do well moving forward. "We always recover, eat well, sleep well, everything we do as a team off the court, we do together, stay sharp."
Tonga continued to make history in their competition debut, making it to the Semi-Finals following a 104-71 win over Guam.
Leading scorer Troy Kaufusi cooled down in this game, finishing with 13 points, but still had 8 assists and 6 steals to his name as Tonga continue to stay perfect in the competition. The bulk of the scoring in this game was lifted by Ului-he-lotu Eteaki (28 points, 8 rebounds) while Soane Hola also added 20 points to go with 13 rebounds and 7 assists.
"We’re focus on our brotherhood, sticking together and mostly our defense," revealed Eteaki about their secret towards a big win.
Guam had played through close games throughout the Group Phase and were battle-tested, but there was not enough firepower in this game to pull through for a third straight trip to the Semi-Finals. Mario Bork was still a star for Guam with 21 points and 6 rebounds.
Tonga's next test will be their biggest one yet as they face New Zealand for a ticket to the Final.
The last team to win in the day and to advance to the Semi-Finals was Samoa who handily defeated Fiji, 115-56. It will be their third straight appearance in the Semi-Finals of the competition.
It didn't take too long for Leevae McDonald to score the first points of the game for Samoa on a steal, and they never looked back. They were able to tame the red-hot Fiji two-man tandem of Ratu Gosho Vishanin and Kalae Kenny who combined for 32 points on 38 field-goal attempts.
All of Samoa's players were able to get on the scoreboard with at least one field-goal made. Levi Afitu led the team with 18 points, while three other players scored in double-digits. Corey Ah Mu had a double-double after grabbing 10 rebounds to go with his 15 points.
"The key was believing in our teammates and believing in the process, and we’re such a tight group," said Ah Mu of their dominant win.
Samoa now advance to face undefeated and six-time defending champions Australia in the Semi-Finals.
Upcoming Games - November 15
Semi-Finals 2: New Zealand v Tonga - 4:30 PM (GMT +11) Classification 5-7: Tahiti v Fiji - 5:00 PM (GMT +11) Semi-Finals 1: Australia v Samoa - 7:00 PM (GMT +11)