Over 50 photos from the men's and women's competition have been posted to the photo gallery. Check them out.

If you like any of the photos, you can right mouse click on the photo and send it to your printer - copy them as often as you want for your family and friends.more

With the medals presented and the teams departing the shores of Samoa, federation executives will now commence the preparation of those vital reports to their governing bodies.

The final placings for the men's and women's competition can be found on the following page.more

Guam and Fiji were medal contenders form the beginning. Both teams have been victorious in most of their games with Guam having the only loss between them, that being their game with Fiji. The first quarter of the game was very close, the scores remaining in the single figures for over half of the first quarter. The end of the first quarter score was Fiji 19 and Guam 14.

Almost half way into the second quarter and Guam has only scored three points. At this time Fiji has almost doubled Guam's score 30-17. Fiji's defence is showing to be too much for Guam as their score continues to increasemore

In the first quarter the game was very close, American Samoa playing good zone defence. Both teams had same height and skill level. The game was very close like cat and mouse both ends of the court. The Fijian masses of the crowd were cheering to the top of their lungs as well as American Samoan's when they scored on the other end of the court.

During the second quarter, the game became very exciting and Fiji was drawing fouls to shoot free throws. Nicole Tamapua hits a great 3 pointer for American Samoa and the crowd screams joy for American Samoa. Fiji have a nice man to man defence covering the zone making sure no outside or inside shots are made.more

An exciting match as Samoa takes the bronze medal.

During the first quarter, Ionatana Enosa from Samoa scored the first 2 points of the game. The start of the game wasn't very enthusiastic without many fans cheering or supporting. New Caledonia trail behind Samoa but manage to get good fast breaks scoring lay-ups and steals to catch up.

The second quarter the game was very fast pace in score. Samoa maintained a comfortable lead of New Caledonia. At the end of the first half, the score was 41 - 26 Samoa.more

It was a very exciting game to watch. Tahiti had the lead at the end of the first quarter where they had 21 to PNG's 16. Tahiti were playing a rough game in the first half although PNG were picking up on their defence bringing the score of the game closer and closer seeing PNG 34 and Tahiti 38 at half time.

PNG had no problem driving the ball into the key and laying it up giving them momentum and eventually gaining the lead. Peggy Muri and Gamini Koroka made the most of Tahiti's missed shots using their height to go for the rebound.more

O. J. Deighton Iosefa has been the "go-to man" for everyone involved in the SPG basketball tournament. Whether things need to be done on the court, in the office, collecting things from the city, chasing up late volunteers, transporting staff or looking after VIP's - OJ is the man.

OJ heads up a large number of volunteers who are doing scoretable, statistics and venue management, who are all doing a terrific job in making sure the games are well run.more

The final day of competition has dawned in sunny Samoa. After 10 days of fierce and friendly competition, the Fiji men's and women's teams will lead their country's run for two more gold medals when they meet Guam men and American Samoa women respectively.

The bronze medal game will be between Tahiti and Papua New Guinea women and New Caledonia and Samoa men.more

Cook Islands is once again defeated and kicked into sixth place. Not much was expected by the cook islanders considering they haven't won any of their matches. Tahitians on the other hand have won a few matches and in this case were too good for the cook islanders.more

Before the game even started everyone knew it was going to be a great final. This was the kind of final that would keep you at the edge of your seat. Both teams have played some great basketball over the past week and have proven that they belong in the final. Supporters for both teams came in their came in flocks, cheering at the top of their voicesmore

FIBA's Technical Manager, Lubo Kotleba, is conducting a FIBA Referees clinic for Oceania candidates.

13 referees from Tahiti, New Zealand, Palau, Fiji, New Caledonia, Solomon Islands, Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands have been given an amazing opportunity to learn and be assessed by Mr Kotleba.more

Third quarter Samoa was in the lead 40 - 25, they had a height advantage over New Caledonia and played strong defence. The playoffs for 5th and 6th were well... what was expected was not exciting!

Good rebounds for Samoa offensively and defensively. Samoa also had a size advantage over New Caledonia keeping the ball outside the key and using their centre to score baskets in the paint.more

Fiji currently leading in the competition beat the Solomon's easy.

Solomon Islands put up some great endurance in the first and the second quarter. But it lasted for only so long. By third quarter they couldn't keep up.

Their defence became fatigued not getting the defensive rebounds and not contesting. Adding to this their offence was just the same setting up bad lay-ups and telegraphing passes.more

Tonight will be a big night where the Fiji boys finally play against the crowds favourite team - Samoa. Fiji is so far undeated after they won by 1 point against Guam. At second equal is Guam and Samoa and the game tonight will decide whether Samoa will play for the gold tomorrow or for the bronze. The Samoa boys will not only have to win their game against Fiji but in order to be number one on the charts, they have to win by 5 or more points.more

The game was all rouge, as the two French speaking, red uniformed women's teams played the late night game. Tahiti simply was too big, too strong, and too quick for the New Caledonians. From the beginning, New Caledonia seemed a little tired and sluggish to trail at the end of the first quarter 24-10.more

New Caledonia ahead of Guam in the beginning, the game finished very close, Guam dominating the second half of the game and finishing with a win.In the first quarter both teams have great skills and the game was very intense. Both teams also were also making very smart decisions. And number 10 hits a nice 3 pointer for New Caledonia. At the end of the game New Caledonia was ahead 25 - 21.more

Heavily favoured and gold metal contender, Samoa, had little trouble defeating winless, but high flying, American Samoa 78-50. As Paul Acosta for American Samoa said, "We are here to play hard and have fun". American Samoa showed itself well despite with about half the team being and playing sick, while four went to the hospital and two were treated with IVs. Soosoo Taulelei for American Samoa thanked God and Samoa for hosting the games and giving his team the opportunity to play.more

The two undefeated teams come face to face at last. This game will determine the first and second place for the women's round.

Before the game, coach Whippy of the Fiji team says, "At this stage, we don't want to loose our momentum. It's gonna be a tuff game. They are a good team and this will be a good game."more

This game represents the spirit of the South Pacific Games. The Solomon Island girls who have yet to win a game played their hearts out against a deep and talented PNG team.

Playing with only six players Solomon Islands just could not overcome an eight point first quarter deficit of 19-11. PNG jumped to a 9-0 lead sparked by number 7 Nape Waka`s two steals and full court drives for layups. PNG continued to rotate players during the second quarter to end the half at 32-22. During the third quarter, fatigue began to show for Solomon Islands and PNG's number 13 Mary Wlavo sparked the team with a nice three point shot to maintain control of the game.more

With all the odds against Tahiti the game began very closely with the score being Fiji 18 and Tahiti 16 at the end of the first quarter.

The next quarter saw Fiji increase their lead. Even though they were ahead Fiji had the same percentage of successful goals as Tahiti.
Half time saw the SPG mascot visit the stadium. Mana had free t-shirts and bas to giveaway to the children, but the catch was they had to show Mana how to play basketball. The children bounced the ball and had some fun with Mana.more

Tahiti simply had the much bigger, stronger, and deeper team than Palau in their 85-65 victory. Although Tahiti jumped to a 21-10 lead at the end of the first quarter, Palau came back in the second quarter to be within one point at 32-31 at the half. During the second quarter Tahiti seemed overly confident missing many inside opportunities as the quick Palau team out jumped and hustled Tahiti.more

With both teams undefeated in the games we asked their coaches what their strategies were for the game:

"Play our game, not look at what they are doing, do what we trained to do. It will be a disciplined effort in both offense and defence." Fiji Coach Paul Whippy

"With two undefeated teams the one most likely to win will be the one who has the easiest baskets." Guam Coach Tony Thompson

The game began close and will most likely end a close one too. The Fijians are fast and have had some amazing steals during the first quarter which gave them the lead at the end of the first quarter.more

In what was to be a match up between two highly rated teams with only one loss in the tournament turned into a show of Samoan defence, depth, and playing skill. Before the game, tensions ran high for both sides as players and coaches anticipated. Before the game, Samoan player #6 when told that New Caledonia had lost only one game, responded with "Now, they are going to loose twice!". Samoan player #10 when asked about the match up said "It was going to be a good game and we would find out at the end who the best is".more

"(Its)gGonna be a tough game" said Anthony Aetonu, assistant coach for the American Samoa team, and tough it was. Samoa had a good start with Annie Soliai scoring the first points of the game. Half way through the first quarter and Samoa was ahead with American Samoa yet to score. Samoa appeared to be playing like they did in their first two games. Their defence has improved, they are screening more and their shots are going in. Samoa leads the game at the end of the first quarter 15-5.more

With only 3 days left of competition, it is time to see which teams will step up and make their way to the Gold Medal and Bronze Medal Games. Read more to keep up to date........more

The Solomon men have a come a long way in this tournament. After their first two losses against Samoa and Guam, defeating Tahiti has started a winning streak for them. It was a very close game between Solomon Islands and American Samoa which had the crowd cheering equally loud for each team.

The first quarter ended with American Samoa ahead at 12 to Solomon's 8. However, the second quarter had the Solomon men take control with Moses Kivo scoring a three pointer and bringing the half time score to Solomon's 26, American Samoa 15.more

In a wild and free-flowing game Samoa Invitational held on in the last minutes to beat Cook Islands 74-73.

The game started with Cook Islands pulling to a 16-23 lead in the first period and it looked as if they had control of the game. Starting the second period, Samoa Invitational came out looking like a different team, outscoring Cook Islands by 9 points in the period to go into the half with a 43-41 lead. Manuele Bourne, number 7, for Samoa sparked Samoa with several quick points, including a three pointer to put Samoa into the lead.more

From the opening tipoff to the final buzzer, it was all Samoa over Tahiti, 71-39. It seemed that all parts of the Samoan game were clicking. Samoa dominated the inside game both offensively and defensively.more

This seems to be a fairly even game, both teams having about the same success here at the games. The game was very close to begin with. The first quarter ending with New Caledonia in the lead 18-19.
PNG are getting a lot of opportunities to shoot in the second quarter, but just aren't making their shots.more

Both teams have lost two games, both teams have had a significant win. Samoa has been playing badly while Tahiti have been consistent with their games. Tonight's game is easily unpredictable. If Samoa continue to play consistently and Samoa continue to play like they have their first two games then this really is anyone's game.more

American Samoa dominates the game, Palau coming back, but American Samoa takes the win.

In the first quarter Palau wins the jump ball and number 6 from American Samoa scores the first two points. American Samoa has been playing good zone defence, pressuring Palau to shoot on the outside.more

It was apparent from the beginning that the Fijians had advantage with skill and speed especially with number 11 Mareta Mani scoring the first two points of the game. Towards the end of the first quarter, Fiji was obviously putting the pressure on as number 5 Mikaelar Whippy steals the ball and takes it all the way with an easy layup.more

Although Palau's Yutaka Gibbons came away with the most steals of the game, the New Caledonia men managed to easily score 17 points up from Palau's 9 in the first quarter of the game. Much of the game is dominated by New Caledonia's height and size compared to the short Palau men.more

If you want to view the team or individual player statistics, simply go to the 'results' button, and then click on the words 'detailed results' at the right.

This will take you to all the game statistics for that game. Also, if you want to make a comment about the game, click on the 'add a comment' button and send a message to your team.more

FIBA Oceania's president, Barbara Wheadon, presided over the mid-term Congress during the lay-day of the South Pacific Games. The Basketball Federations of Samoa, Guam, Tahiti, Solomon Islands, Papua New Guinea, American Samoa, Fiji, New Caledonia, Australia and New Zealand all attended the meeting.

Unfortunately the federations of Cook Islands and Palau, while in attendance at the Games, did not send a representative to the meeting.more

Papua New Guinea (PNG) women's team coach Veitu Diro expressed that she was very pleased with their win against the Samoa girls last night given that only one of her players Jenny Magatu, PNG number 11 has ever played in the South Pacific Games. "The rest of the players are new on the PNG team." With regards to their game up ahead against Tahiti, she says, "We will play the same game plan for this game by relying on our speed."more

Ken Madsen was honoured for his volunteer work with Basketball Australia at the mid-term Congress held on Sunday. Madsen was a worthy winner of the Pat Ramsay Shield, which is awarded every two years. Nominations are received from the Basketball Federations in the zone.more

Tahiti put up valiant fight but can't defeat Guam.The match took off with a competitive start. Through out the first and second quarter points on the score board were tight. Until the third quarter, when Guam opened the margin 40-27. Despite the fact that themore

With a good nights rest we hoped that Samoa would have returned to their previous glory but with six and a half minutes left in the first quarter and the score at two to ten it didn't look likely. Fiji was everywhere and showed that as a team they are a force to be reckoned with.

The second quarter saw Samoa trying to come back, but they just weren't working as a team. Fiji continued with their tight defence and fast breaks. Samoa's defence continued to fold, letting Fiji increase their lead. With four and a half minutes left in the second quarter Suzette Atoa makes her debut appearance here at the games, being unable to play thus far due to illness; a bug that seems to be spreading through the Samoan team with three other players under the weather.more

Assistant Fiji Coach Stuart had this to say at halftime: "The first quarter we played really well...second quarter (we) didn't play well at all. The first quarter we played intense and aggressive on offense and defense...second quarter not so much, but it did pick-up at the end there." Of course coaches are always seeking perfection, but Fiji did in fact have some dry spells during their romping of American Samoa.more

Everyone knew the outcome of this game when they looked at the schedule this morning, but they say "games aren't played on paper". This game; if it was played on paper, in the ocean, or on the moon would not have had a different outcome. Nevertheless, the beginning of the game was fun.more

In a battle of the two shortest teams in the tournament, Palau won 92-82 against the Samoa Invitational team. Both teams have the exact same style of play : FAST and AGGRESSIVE. Both teams hustle like no other teams in the tournament on both ends of the court. The quick, energy-laden styles were both effective against one another and crowd-pleasing. Despite the intense speed of the game there weren't that many turnovers or miscues...the teams are comfortable with the speed, so they must also practice at this pace. Also, surprisingly for the two teams playing there were many blocked shots...the players might be short but all of them can jump.more

We didn't come here to lose. We will play to the best of our ability. We are not half way through the tournament, there's still a lot of basketball to play. This is just a big test." This is what Guam Coach Tony Thompson had to say about the upcoming game against Samoa. This game was set to be a tough as both teams were undefeated and both teams have had huge wins against oponents.

It began as a very physical game, both teams pushing to get the ball. Borja Andrew of Guam showed his great concentration skills as he made two sets of foul shots while the crowd screamed and cheered for Samoa. Half way through the first quarter the game remained close, 6-8 Guam leading.more

Before the game, Tema Hunkin, assistant coach for the Samoa Women's Basketball Team had this to say about having only nine players able to play tonight's game..."With April, Suzette and Pualele out of the game, we will have to adjust, but it will force the girls to work hard as a team. They came through last night with April out of the game, I am sure they can do it again.

The PNG team has had a hard run so far after being defeated in their first two games of the tournament. When asked what their strategy was fo tonight's game PNG Coach Veitu Diro said"...we will run a fast game.more

A Samoan Island mandated by a nation which a percentage of the population are basketball fanatics, it's no surprise to see great talent in the American Samoan Women's team. They easily came away with the win showing very little mercy to the Solomon Islanders 88-61.

The Papuans at first seemed as though they were a challenge. But by second quarter they couldn't keep up with the Americans pace. The American Samoans showed great play offensively and defensively .consistently keeping their key on lockdown, communicating, completing layups. Derisa Taleni once again comes out as the highest point scorer of the match. She is a promising player along with Latoya Marshall whom both have great anticpation.more

The final score of 65-50 for an American Samoa victory is a little misleading. While American Samoa was ahead for the entire game the lead did not reach double digits until well into the third quarter. Both teams played scrappily in this game, as every loose ball or rebound was fought for tooth and nail.more

Although Fiji won the jump ball, Jean-Jacques Taufana scored the first 2 points of the game for New Caledonia. There was equal strength in height, size and skills with three pointers flying into the basket from both teams.

The second quarter opened with Felix Kilikili hitting a 3 pointer from New Caledonia. New Caledonia took the match into their hands, making the score gap larger and larger against Fiji. While Isikeli Mara from Fiji was trying to score, Felix Kilikili again was having a field day scoring another 3 pointer for New Caledonia.

At half time the score was 44 - 22 New Caledonia's way.more

Name: Scott Muliaga
Sport: Basketball
Country: American Samoamore

It wasn't just their first tournament win here in the SPG, but the Solomon Islands' first international win in nearly a decade. In eight years to be exact. The country didn't field a team for the SPG in Fiji 2003, and didn't win a game in Guam (1999). However, today led by spirited play and a young, inspirational coach, the team and country has reason to celebrate.

The game was intense and draining through the first half with Tahiti usually leading by at least a few points. But, the Solomon Islands' opportunistic style of play kept the competition close as the half ended with a score of 44-38 Tahiti. Ryan Burns, Solomon Islands Head Coach and former youth ambassador from Australia, had this to say at the half, "(We're) feeling confident and looking forward to the last quarter.more

There are 4 female referees at this tournament, leading the way and showing that through dedication, women can referee at the highest international event in the Pacific.

Jackie Hunt (American Samoa), Emma Hatigeva (Solomons), Jubilee Kuarteir (Palau) and Moana Purcell (American Samoa) are pictured left, preparing for their games.more

Before the Samoan girls hit the court, Solomon Islands coach Eric Matangi says "This will be a tuff game. The Samoan side are very big and physical. We'll try to maintain our set piece and make sure we move the ball fast before the big guys try to push us around.

On the other hand, coach Wendy Anae for Samoa's team says, "I feel good about our game tonight. We'll work on playing better and continue to gel together as a team" The captain of the Samoan team, April scored the first two points with a jump shot just inside the three point line. There was a big scare and loss for the Samoan side when at the end of the first quarter, the captain April Atuaia fell to the floor with a possible knee injury.more

Perhaps American Samoa watched too many AND1 Mix-Tapes because their street ball type play hurt them a lot more than it helped tonight. Usually, a flashy cross-over, no look pass, or dunk attempt ended up in the turnover category. New Caledonia wasn't exceptional in any particular area, but they played as a team which allowed them to hold on to the win.more

"I'm definitely not satisfied with where we're at. We played sloppy at the beginning. We were also frustrated, because the game was being called tight at the beginning. But after a time out we calmed down and played our game. We put pressure on the ball and forced some turnovers", said Guam head Coach Tony Thompson after his team's easy victory. Guam definitely had more physical competition on the court tonight as the Solomon Islands team could match their athleticism. The game began very competitively. Both teams were playing with a lot of energy and swarming the ball on defense. However, Guam's instincts and tendency to consistently get the loose ball had them ahead 21-12 at quarter's end.more

When asked about how he felt about their game ahead against Tahiti, American Samoa Coach Haili Ripley says "We cant take anyone lightly. The Tahiti girls are medal contenders and they are an excellent team. We will try our best not to make too many mistakes"
After yesterday's win against PNG, coach Ripley hopes that the American Samoa girls will keep that momentum going in their game today against the Tahitian girls.more

Away uniforms had to be found for Cook Islands so the game began 25 minutes late. Regardless, Cook Islands was no match for Tahiti. The game started surprisingly competitively. Cook Islands' scrappy, desperate style kept the game close through the middle of the first quarter. However, Tahiti's size and strength advantage began taking its toll by the end of the quarter's end with the score 15-6. Over the next two quarters the lead exploded to 64-25 for Tahiti, as they were able to nab nearly every rebound and loose ball.more

Fiji's win of 96-46 was well earned obviously from their total domination of the game. In the 1st quarter the Fiji girls were stealing the ball and retrieving rebounds. Fiji built up a comfortable lead with a first quarter score of 31-15. Papua New Guinea was forcing their shots giving Fiji the advantage to take over the game three minutes into the 2nd quarter. Number 5 from Fiji hits a nice 3 pointer and number 7 hits a 35 foot long range shot at the end of the first half, making the score Fiji 53, PNG 22 at half time.more

The Samoan men's basketball team has at least three players who have played US college basketball as well as a professional basketball player, who hovers over his team and their competitors. But that's not all. They also have a US university basketball coach to instruct them on their winning strategies. Because of the great experience of the team and their management I had very high expectations for this game. I expected the Samoan team to lead with at least double the points of the Solomon Islands throughout the game. This was not the case.more

Of the 12 players in the Samoa Women's team, there are three pairs of sisters. This may have contributed to the 20 point lead finding Samoa at 24 and New Caledonia 4 in the first quarter.

The second quarter proved the New Caledonia girls' fitness as they caught up fast scoring 15 to Samoa's 14 bringing the half time score to Samoa 38, New Caledonia 19.more

The final score of 116-53 would lead you to believe that Fiji was head and shoulders above Palau, and you would be led correctly as Fiji was literally head and shoulders above their competition. The difference in height was extreme and apparent form the opening tip.more

Cook Islands simply couldn't handle the ball. Whether it was dribbling, passing, or shooting (albeit rarely) the ball just seemed to slip out of the team's grasp.

I suppose it didn't help that Guam brought a press from the opening tip onward, but the difference in skill level between these two teams was apparent from just the warm-ups. Guam looked regimented and smooth in their warm-up routine, while it seemed in comparison, that Cook Islands didn't even have one. When asked about the prediction and strategy for the game John Engu(#7) of the Cook Islands team said, " I'm not sure. We don't know what Guam looks like. We'll go out and see what the team looks like...adjust accordingly. We're here to play and I hope Guam is here to play ad much less to say. While in contrast Chris Fernandez (#5) from Guam simply smiled and said "Naw" he didn't have a prediction for the game. Regarding strategy he said "just play hard", and that is what they did all game long.more

The men's competition format will be:
First section: 2 pools of 5 teams playing a round robin competition.
Second section: Top 3 teams from each of pool in the first section combine to form the "Medal" pool. The bottom 2 teams from each pool in the first secion combine to form the "Classification" pool. A round robin competition in the classification pool. In the medal pool teams will only play those teams they have not played in the first section.

After the medal competition, the top 2 teams play off for gold and silver, while the 3rd & 4th teams will play off for bronze.more

The Samoa Basketball Federation will be entering a second team to replace the PNG men. This team will not receive points for games played, and will not be eligible for promotion into the medal round of games.

However, their entry will provide games for the other teams in the men's pool 2 competition.

We thank the Samoa Basketball Federation for providing this team at such late notice.more

FIBA Oceania's Judy Smith will be conducting training programs for basketball administrators during the Games. Sessions will be conducted during the morning, when there are no games.

FIBA Organizer is being well utilised by some federations, and not at all by others. "Federations have had access to numerous training programs over the past couple and years, and many people have attended these. It is time for the federations to stand up and show that they appreciate the support and programs given to them for free, and the best way to do this is to use the program" said Secretary General Steve Smith.more

The Mid Term Congress of FIBA Oceania will be conducted on Sunday 2nd September in Apia. Timed to coincide with the SPG's, the mid term Congress will be attended by administrators from all of the participating countries, plus Australia and New Zealand.

The Congress will review the progress made by the organisation over the past 2 years, and will set the agenda for the next 2 years.more

Officials have been notified today that the PNG men's basketball team has been withdrawn from the South Pacific Games.

Discussions will be held immediately about the restructure of the draw, but it is anticipated that the men's competition will still be played in 2 pools as previously advertised. The draw that is currently on the website will be amended once the new draw is confirmed.more

The competition draw for the men and women's competitions are now available under the "draws and results" function on the website, in preparation for the entry of game results in just over a weeks time.more

180 players, 16 referees, 30 volunteers and lots of spectators - we could not have asked for a better Samoa Games Basketball program", said FIBA Oceania's Judy Smith.more