Basketball: Airs drop two in a row on the road

The Taranaki Airs endured a tough double-header on the road, beaten by both the Wellington Saints and Nelson Giants as defensive lapses and big scoring runs proved costly.

In Wellington, the Airs started brightly against the Saints, taking a 26-22 lead after the opening quarter behind strong early scoring from their imports and outside shooting from Marcel Jones.

But the game quickly swung in the second period as Elijah Pepper caught fire, pouring in 21 first-half points to lead a dominant 38-point quarter.

With Carlin Davison controlling the tempo and dishing out 13 assists for the game, the Saints surged to a 60-46 halftime lead and never looked back, running out convincing 111-89 winners.

Xavier Green (20 points) and Jones (16 points, 8 rebounds) led the Airs, but they were unable to contain Pepper, who finished with 36 points in a commanding Saints performance.

The Rapid League contest followed a similar pattern of momentum swings. Taranaki opened with a dominant 17-4 quarter and looked on track for their first win, only for a 13-0 Saints run, sparked by Hassan Munir, to turn the tide.

The hosts clamped down defensively, holding the Airs to just 20 points across the second and third quarters to secure a 42-37 win.

It didn’t get easier in Nelson, where the Airs again showed glimpses but were ultimately overpowered by the Nelson Giants in a 107-91 loss.

After a tight opening quarter, the Giants blew the game open with a 31-17 second period and stretched their lead to as much as 39 points heading into the final quarter.

To their credit, the Airs rallied late through Green and Aaron Cook Jr, trimming the margin to 12, but the Giants steadied through Liam Judd, who led all scorers with 26 points. Green again impressed for Taranaki with 28 points, six rebounds and six assists, while Cook added 19.

The Rapid League side also fell short in Nelson, beaten 58-34 as the Giants’ depth and second-half scoring runs proved decisive, leaving the Airs still searching for their first win in the competition.

Across both fixtures, the Airs showed patches of competitiveness, particularly through their imports, but were ultimately undone by sustained scoring bursts and an inability to halt opposition momentum at key stages.

Taranaki have a string of four home games against Southland (May 7), Wellington Saints (May 16), Canterbury (May 24) and Manawatu Jets (May 29).