Latest news with #Saints
Otago Daily Times
4 hours ago
- Sport
- Otago Daily Times
Saints edge Sharks as Harris dominates final
Hyrum Harris and the Wellington Saints have dashed the Southland Sharks' dreams of a fairytale NBL crown. Harris poured in 20 points and claimed 14 rebounds in a devastating display of defence that led the Saints to their first title since 2021, and 13th in franchise history, in the capital this afternoon. Jordan Ngatai added 19 points, including two clutch three-pointers down the stretch, and sparkplug Nicholas Marshall had 16 points and 11 rebounds. The Sharks had timed their run perfectly and won nine straight games to reach the final. But their hopes of winning a fourth chip, and first since 2018, were undone by a poor third quarter and a couple of key moments in the fourth. Keylan Boone did everything he could for the Sharks, hitting five three-pointers in his 19 points, while former Nuggets centre Sam Timmins had 17 points and 11 rebounds. The Sharks made the early running and jumped to a 14-7 lead with four quick three-pointers. They also came up with some timely offensive boards to give themselves some second chances. Harris powered the Saints as they fired back to level terms then nabbed a 25-23 lead, though Caleb Aspberry wiped that out with two free throws right at the end of the first quarter. The Saints went on a nice run in the second before their shooting hands went completely cold — they made just two of their first 15 attempts from long range. Josiah Allick, fresh off being named the league's most valuable player, had been a non-event in the first quarter but got more involved in the second, and Timmins nabbed a couple of big rebounds. A lean-back Boone jumper gave the Sharks a 44-38 lead late in the quarter before a crazy sequence in which the Saints turned the ball over, Ngatai blocked Boone, and Ngatai hit a three. Izayah Le'afa capped a miserable personal first half from deep (0-for-7) with a miss on the buzzer, leaving Southland with a 44-41 lead at halftime. The third quarter ebbed and flowed after a clutch three from Australian veteran Shaun Bruce and a sublime cut by Marshall gave the Saints the lead, before Allick again got the Sharks humming. The Saints were strong on transition and starting to turn the heat up on defence, forcing back-to-back Southland turnovers, and they went up by seven when Le'afa was fouled shooting from deep. When Timmins got fired for an offensive foul and Bruce hit from three again, the Saints suddenly had a 10-point lead, though that was shaved to seven at the final break. The Saints kept chipping away, and at 77-64 with less than 7min to play, it looked like curtains for the Sharks. But they would not quit. Boone hit three threes, Timmins played with the sort of fury that powered the Nuggets to the 2022 title, and Tukaha Cooper hit a bomb in the final minutes. They were big moments, but the Saints did just enough to stay in front. NBL final The scores Wellington Saints 88 Hyrum Harris 20, Jordan Ngatai 19, Nicholas Marshall 16 Southland Sharks 83 Keylan Boone 19, Sam Timmins 17, Josiah Allick 15 Quarter scores: 25-25, Sharks 44-41, Saints 67-60.
Otago Daily Times
5 hours ago
- Sport
- Otago Daily Times
Saints dash Sharks' NBL dream
Hyrum Harris and the Wellington Saints have dashed the Southland Sharks' dreams of a fairytale NBL crown. Harris poured in 20 points and claimed 14 rebounds in a devastating display of defence that led the Saints to their first title since 2021, and 13th in franchise history, in the capital this afternoon. Jordan Ngatai added 19 points, including two clutch three-pointers down the stretch, and sparkplug Nicholas Marshall had 16 points and 11 rebounds. The Sharks had timed their run perfectly and won nine straight games to reach the final. But their hopes of winning a fourth chip, and first since 2018, were undone by a poor third quarter and a couple of key moments in the fourth. Keylan Boone did everything he could for the Sharks, hitting five three-pointers in his 19 points, while former Nuggets centre Sam Timmins had 17 points and 11 rebounds. The Sharks made the early running and jumped to a 14-7 lead with four quick three-pointers. They also came up with some timely offensive boards to give themselves some second chances. Harris powered the Saints as they fired back to level terms then nabbed a 25-23 lead, though Caleb Aspberry wiped that out with two free throws right at the end of the first quarter. The Saints went on a nice run in the second before their shooting hands went completely cold — they made just two of their first 15 attempts from long range. Josiah Allick, fresh off being named the league's most valuable player, had been a non-event in the first quarter but got more involved in the second, and Timmins nabbed a couple of big rebounds. A lean-back Boone jumper gave the Sharks a 44-38 lead late in the quarter before a crazy sequence in which the Saints turned the ball over, Ngatai blocked Boone, and Ngatai hit a three. Izayah Le'afa capped a miserable personal first half from deep (0-for-7) with a miss on the buzzer, leaving Southland with a 44-41 lead at halftime. The third quarter ebbed and flowed after a clutch three from Australian veteran Shaun Bruce and a sublime cut by Marshall gave the Saints the lead, before Allick again got the Sharks humming. The Saints were strong on transition and starting to turn the heat up on defence, forcing back-to-back Southland turnovers, and they went up by seven when Le'afa was fouled shooting from deep. When Timmins got fired for an offensive foul and Bruce hit from three again, the Saints suddenly had a 10-point lead, though that was shaved to seven at the final break. The Saints kept chipping away, and at 77-64 with less than 7min to play, it looked like curtains for the Sharks. But they would not quit. Boone hit three threes, Timmins played with the sort of fury that powered the Nuggets to the 2022 title, and Tukaha Cooper hit a bomb in the final minutes. They were big moments, but the Saints did just enough to stay in front. NBL final The scores Wellington Saints 88 Hyrum Harris 20, Jordan Ngatai 19, Nicholas Marshall 16 Southland Sharks 83 Keylan Boone 19, Sam Timmins 17, Josiah Allick 15 Quarter scores: 25-25, Sharks 44-41, Saints 67-60.
Otago Daily Times
5 hours ago
- Sport
- Otago Daily Times
Saints crush Sharks as Harris dominates final
Hyrum Harris and the Wellington Saints have dashed the Southland Sharks' dreams of a fairytale NBL crown. Harris poured in 20 points and claimed 14 rebounds in a devastating display of defence that led the Saints to their first title since 2021, and 13th in franchise history, in the capital this afternoon. Jordan Ngatai added 19 points, including two clutch three-pointers down the stretch, and sparkplug Nicholas Marshall had 16 points and 11 rebounds. The Sharks had timed their run perfectly and won nine straight games to reach the final. But their hopes of winning a fourth chip, and first since 2018, were undone by a poor third quarter and a couple of key moments in the fourth. Keylan Boone did everything he could for the Sharks, hitting five three-pointers in his 19 points, while former Nuggets centre Sam Timmins had 17 points and 11 rebounds. The Sharks made the early running and jumped to a 14-7 lead with four quick three-pointers. They also came up with some timely offensive boards to give themselves some second chances. Harris powered the Saints as they fired back to level terms then nabbed a 25-23 lead, though Caleb Aspberry wiped that out with two free throws right at the end of the first quarter. The Saints went on a nice run in the second before their shooting hands went completely cold — they made just two of their first 15 attempts from long range. Josiah Allick, fresh off being named the league's most valuable player, had been a non-event in the first quarter but got more involved in the second, and Timmins nabbed a couple of big rebounds. A lean-back Boone jumper gave the Sharks a 44-38 lead late in the quarter before a crazy sequence in which the Saints turned the ball over, Ngatai blocked Boone, and Ngatai hit a three. Izayah Le'afa capped a miserable personal first half from deep (0-for-7) with a miss on the buzzer, leaving Southland with a 44-41 lead at halftime. The third quarter ebbed and flowed after a clutch three from Australian veteran Shaun Bruce and a sublime cut by Marshall gave the Saints the lead, before Allick again got the Sharks humming. The Saints were strong on transition and starting to turn the heat up on defence, forcing back-to-back Southland turnovers, and they went up by seven when Le'afa was fouled shooting from deep. When Timmins got fired for an offensive foul and Bruce hit from three again, the Saints suddenly had a 10-point lead, though that was shaved to seven at the final break. The Saints kept chipping away, and at 77-64 with less than 7min to play, it looked like curtains for the Sharks. But they would not quit. Boone hit three threes, Timmins played with the sort of fury that powered the Nuggets to the 2022 title, and Tukaha Cooper hit a bomb in the final minutes. They were big moments, but the Saints did just enough to stay in front. NBL final The scores Wellington Saints 88 Hyrum Harris 20, Jordan Ngatai 19, Nicholas Marshall 16 Southland Sharks 83 Keylan Boone 19, Sam Timmins 17, Josiah Allick 15 Quarter scores: 25-25, Sharks 44-41, Saints 67-60.
Otago Daily Times
6 hours ago
- Sport
- Otago Daily Times
Sharks carrying momentum into NBL final
The Southland Sharks will chase a fourth National Basketball League title thanks to a stunning resurgence. Coach Jonathan Yim could not be reached for comment to help shed some light on his side's form reversal. But here is a quick recap. Midway through the campaign, the Sharks were not really on the radar. They were winning the odd game and staying in touch. But they were also walloped by some of the stronger teams, including the Wellington Saints who they will play in Sunday's final in the capital. Now everyone is taking them seriously. The Sharks produced a huge team effort to overcome the Canterbury Rams in Christchurch last week. All five starters got into double figures to set up a 101-82 semifinal win against the two-time defending champions. Competition MVP Josiah Allick starred with 21 points and 15 rebounds. Caleb Asberry was influential with a haul of 19 points and nine assists. Fellow import Keylan Boone netted 18 points and grabbed 10 boards. If they had been flying under the radar, they are now flashing in neon. It is worth mentioning that their last two games against the Rams resulted in enormous losses (120-84 and 128-79). But they have improved dramatically since then. They have won their last nine games, which includes a 91-75 victory against the Auckland Tuatara in a playoff match in Invercargill last week to set up the semifinal with the Rams. All season, the Rams and the Saints seemed destined to meet in the final. The Saints dispatched the Tauranga Whai 93-68 in the other semifinal and they will start the final as favourites. They posted two comfortable wins against the Sharks during the round-robin. But the Sharks are in imperious form. They will lean on Allick around the hoop. The tireless power forward is the competition's leading rebounder with 11.4 boards per game. His battle with Hyrum Harris (10.3) will be fascinating. Sharks sharpshooter Boone (21.1 points) is the most accurate three-point exponent in the league. Former Otago Nuggets captain Sam Timmins adds another level of protection around the rim for the Sharks, and Caleb Asberry is a quality distributor. The Saints will rely on Nicholas Marshall to generate some offence. The talented guard has multiple ways to hurt the defence and will combine with Izayah Mauriohooho-Le'afa. Harris and Nicholas Muszynski will take care of the paint and Jordan Ngatai is a versatile forward who is vastly experienced and a big-game player.
Time of India
13 hours ago
- Sport
- Time of India
New Orleans Saints give Tyler Shough historic $10.8M deal as rookie QB battle heats up
Photo by Derick E. Hingle/Getty Images The New Orleans Saints are making a bold move—and putting real money behind it. Rookie quarterback Tyler Shough has signed a fully guaranteed four-year, $10.795 million contract, ending weeks of negotiation and signaling the franchise's belief that the 26-year-old could be the answer under center. The deal, reported by ESPN's Adam Schefter on July 18, is more than just a payday—it's a statement. Not only is Shough the last player in the 2025 NFL Draft to land a fully guaranteed contract, but his deal includes an annual roster bonus structure no other non-first-round pick received. With training camp looming and no clear veteran leader in sight, the Saints have thrown the door wide open for a quarterback competition—and Shough might just walk through it as QB1. Tyler Shough's rise from injury setbacks to QB1 contender gives the New Orleans Saints a bold new hope under center When the New Orleans Saints selected Tyler Shough with the 40th overall pick in this year's NFL Draft, expectations were modest. But the terms of his deal say otherwise. The fully guaranteed structure, coupled with an annual roster bonus that frontloads his earnings before camp, is a rarity outside the first round. That wrinkle reportedly held up the signing—until this week. Now, with the paperwork done, the focus shifts to the field. Shough enters camp as part of a three-man battle for the starting job alongside fellow rookies Spencer Rattler and Jake Haener. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like American Investor Warren Buffett Recommends: 5 Books For Turning Your Life Around Blinkist: Warren Buffett's Reading List Undo Between them, they have zero NFL wins and only seven combined career starts. 'There won't be a holdout distraction now. It's about football,' one Saints official told WWW Sports after the deal was signed. The Saints' recent history at quarterback has been rocky. Since Drew Brees' retirement, attempts to stabilize the position with Derek Carr, Jameis Winston, and Andy Dalton have fallen short. This year's trio represents a fresh start—but also a major risk. And yet, Shough's journey suggests he's up for it. He began at Oregon, backing up Justin Herbert, before transferring to Texas Tech and then Louisville. Injuries—including a broken collarbone and fibula—derailed multiple seasons, but in 2024 he delivered his strongest campaign yet: 3,195 passing yards, 23 touchdowns, and a marquee road win over Clemson. 'He's been through every possible challenge,' a Louisville assistant told WWW Sports. 'That experience—that toughness—is what makes him different.' His performance earned him College Sports Communicators Comeback Player of the Year honors and an invite to the 2025 Senior Bowl. Shough opted out of the Sun Bowl to prepare for the NFL Draft, betting on himself one last time. The Saints, it seems, are now doing the same. The New Orleans Saints are all-in on Tyler Shough to end their quarterback chaos Tyler Shough's journey to the NFL has been anything but ordinary—and neither is the contract he just signed. With $10.795 million fully guaranteed and a path to start in New Orleans, Shough stands at the center of one of the league's most intriguing QB battles. If he wins the job, this deal won't just be historic on paper—it'll mark the beginning of a new era for the Saints. Also Read: Jelly Roll calls Taylor Swift the GOAT live on ESPN — Travis Kelce seals it with the perfect response Catch Rani Rampal's inspiring story on Game On, Episode 4. Watch Here!
