The PACIFIC JEWELLERS SAINTS have been crowned the 2014 BARTERCARD NATIONAL BASKETBALL League for the eighth time, defeating the IMS PAYROLL HAWKS 85-69.
The IMS Payroll Hawks have ended the regular season with 98-87 win over the OceanaGold Nuggets to win their second ever regular season and finish with a franchise best 83.3% winning percentage.
Finding a way to turn fits and starts into consistent, good quality basketball will be the off-season challenge for Taranaki Mountain Airs coach Daryn Shaw after his side concluded their home programme with a heavy 81-64 loss to the IMS Payroll Hawks yesterday.
It took five minutes of overtime but the IMS Payroll-sponsored Bay franchise team did stop the rot with a 94-89 victory last night at the Pettigrew-Green Arena in Napier to claim the minor premiership crown of the Bartercard National Basketball League (NBL).
Many former Hawks basketball coaches have mentioned how hard it is to return from Nelson with a win.
Last night was no different as the IMS Payroll-sponsored Hawke's Bay franchise ground out a 82-77 victory over the Fico Finance Nelson Giants at Saxton Stadium, winning their sixth game on the trot.
By Anendra Singh
The IMS Payroll Hawks are fast becoming the team to beat in the Bartercard NBL with a convincing 88-78 win over the Pacific Jewellers Saints and Canterbury Rams 76-59 and go to the top of the ladder outright
With 0:8 of a second left on the clock, the IMS Payroll Hawks came back from the dead to register a heart-tearing 91-89 victory in Napier.
- Anendra Singh Hawkes Bay Today
The in-form IMS Payroll Hawks have dispatched the Super City Rangers 99-81 in Friday night NBL action in Napier.
It was the Hawks third straight victory, as they remain unbeaten at home. American Dustin Scott had his best game of the season with 24 points, 12 rebounds and four steals.
The IMS Payroll 86-75 win came on the heels of their first game at home following an opening round overtime loss to the Wellington Saints in round one on Wednesday.
American import Dustin Scott said the Hawks only learned minutes before the tip off at 7pm that Paora Winitana wasn't playing because his wife Tia was giving birth (boy at 8.08pm).