The final stop of the Basketball New Zealand (BBNZ) NZ Pro 3×3 Quest wrapped up in Christchurch last weekend.
Day 1 Recap
In the Men’s, it was Rimu – which features a roster Kaia Isaac, Chris Tupaea, Louie Gordon and Tyler Herbert – were the winners and managed to complete the day without dropping a game. No team came within five points in all of their victories, showing class and managing to show that defence plays a huge part in 3×3. They ended up defeating Kakano Ma in the grand final 21-12.
For the Women’s, Manuka Pango – with Lauryn Hippolite, Esra McGoldrick, Maddy Timms and Rosalia Samia – followed the same pattern as Rimu, securing a clean run through Day 1 and not dropping a game. They also managed to hold all other teams under 10 points in their first four games, which is something we haven’t seen so far this season. Manuka Pango took out the Final against Magic by a narrow two points, with the final score being 17-15.
Day 2 Recap
The Men’s division on Sunday saw Rimu – who had a lineup of Dom Kelman-Poto, Chris Tupaea, Simon Lafaele and Tyler Herbert – made no mistake with an undefeated run across all five games they played. They sealed the deal with a 18-15 run against Wharenui.
In the Women’s division, Manuka Pango came out on top once again – with the only lineup change was the loss of Esra McGoldrick. Following on from yesterday’s success, they didn’t lose a game which set them straight through to the playoffs. They were put to the challenge of Magic for the second day in a row and succeeded 11-9 in another close encounter.
After eight stops during the NZ Pro 3×3 Quest, Nikolay Mikhalchuk summarised his thoughts on what’s happening within the 3×3 space.
“During our recent Stops in Christchurch, we witnessed two strong stops highlighting the talents of some of the star players in attendance. Notably, Tyler Herbert, a rising 3×3 star who wasn’t on our radar before the NZ Pro Quest Tour. He delivered an impressive performance, showcasing a variety of offensive skills and ultimately earning the title of MVP for the last stop.
As we pause our Tour, we must now turn our attention to the important task in front of our National Teams Coaching Staff: evaluating all games played thus far and selecting the most exceptional rosters for the upcoming 3×3 Asia Cup in Singapore, scheduled to take place from March 29th to April 2nd, 2023.”
MVP’s for this stop:
Men’s Division – Tyler Herbert
Women’s Division – Lauryn Hippolite
The NZ Pro 3×3 Quest has wrapped up for the season with future events set to take place later in the year. For details on other Basketball New Zealand events, visit the Events page at https://nz.basketball/whats-on/
