CANBERRA (Australia) - The FIBA U15 Oceania Cup tipped off in exciting fashion, especially in Guam's win to join New Zealand and Tonga as Day 1 victors.
The competition started with New Zealand running away with a 114-70 win over Samoa, leading from start to finish to tip off their campaign.
"[Samoa] gave us a good challenge in the first half," admitted Tawhiri Cate who was a standout in this game. "They definitely wanted to come out and show us who they are and we weren't ready for that, but we responded in the second half."
All players made a field goal for the Junior Tall Blacks with five players scoring in double-digits in the big win. Brigham Hakaraia had a double-double with 16 points and 12 rebounds, while Cate led the team in scoring with 18 points to go with 7 rebounds and 5 assists.
"I don't really try to think too much about how my game was," said Cate after the game about his thoughts on his performance. "I wanted to focus on the team's game, just make sure every standard that we have is upheld. But I'm happy with how I played as well."
"It was great, first game internationally with these boys. It was awesome to get out and play for all the people back home in New Zealand."
Samoa's trio of Kingston Tutani (16 points), Corey Ah Mu (15 points), and Levi Afitu (12 points) all scored in double-digits for the team.
The second game of the day brought the fans a bit closer to the edge of their seats as Guam overcame a 25-point swing to win 82-80 against the Cook Islands.
Guam looked to be in control of the game early on as they led by as much as 13 points in the first half, heading into the locker room with plenty of momentum.
However, their counterparts had something cooking and came into the second half determined to get back into the game. Not only did the Cook Islands wipe away the lead, they took control to lead by as much as 12 points nearly halfway in the fourth quarter.
In those last five minutes, Guam's Kyson Cornelius rained in 8 of his 16 points, sparking a run by Guam that saw they reclaim the lead with just over a minute left in the game. Cook Islan'ds Enuarurutini Mataroa put the game into a deadlock at 80-80 with less than a minute to go, but just as everyone was expecting an extra period of basketball, Francis Jones II delivered the go-ahead basket - assisted by Mario Bork. He'd go back on the other end for a clutch defensive play before Guam were able to officially celebrate their victory.
Jones II (12 rebounds, 4 assists, 4 steals, 4 blocks) matched Cornelius' 16 points as top scorers for Guam, while Bork added 15 points to go with 11 rebounds and 5 assists.
Joshua Marsters had a masterful game for Cook Islands with 19 points and 22 rebounds, while Kobi Maeva showed his mentality with a double-double of 10 points and 17 boards.
Tonga closed out the opening day of the U15 Oceania Cup with a resounding 86-50 win over Tahiti, highlighted by a standout statistical feat from their star player. They started the game strong with a 16-6 first quarter and never looked back onwards to the final buzzer.
Troy Hilamani Kaufasi recorded a rare triple-double of 20 points, 15 rebounds, and 12 assists and was close to a quadruple-double with 7 steals to his name as well. Teammates Soane Hola and Ului-he-lotu Eteaki chipped in 15 points a piece for the winning squad.
Upcoming Games - November 12:
Fiji v Guam - Local Time: 09:00 AM (GMT+11) New Caledonia v Tonga - Local Time: 11:30 AM (GMT+11) New Zealand v Australia - Local Time: 07:00 PM (GMT+11)
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