IMS PAYROLL HAWKS UPSET SHARKS IN INVERCARGILL

The IMS Payroll Hawks have bounced back from their loss last night to defeat the Zerofees Southland Sharks 101-88 in Invercargill.

It was the absolute team performance from the Tab Baldwin coached side, as seven players reached at least double digits. A strong third quarter from the Bay was the difference, outscoring the home side 30-14, to hold a 72-56 heading into the fourth. The visitors pushed their lead to 21 after a Marco Alexander field goal, but Southland rallied and went on a 24-9 run to close the gap to six with still two minutes left.

A Kareem Johnson three point play pushed the lead back up to nine which gave the Hawks enough momentum to finish the game, putting their record to five wins and two losses.

The Hawks did an extremely good job of containing the Sharks leading scorer Reuben Te Rangi who was held to four points, shooting 1/8 from the field and turning the ball over four times. Sharks Coach Paul Henare moved import David Gruber into the starting line-up in place of Leon Henry. Gruber responded well with 23 points and 10 rebounds while Henry also had a good game of 16.

Kevin Braswell shared the game high honours with Gruber, but shot 7/20 as the Sharks suffer their second loss at home, pushing their win/loss back under .500.