Latest news with #Sebree
Otago Daily Times
3 days ago
- Sport
- Otago Daily Times
No great surprise for tenth consecutive loss
And one more makes 10. The Otago Nuggets have slipped to a tenth consecutive loss in the National Basketball League this season. It is just outside their top five most barren runs in their history. The latest loss was no great surprise. They were up against the Wellington Saints (11-4) who are at the other end of the competition standings — the good end. The Saints were perhaps guilty of coasting along in patches. But they pulled away late to win 91-79. Nicholas Marshall (24 points, 7 rebounds) and Hyrum Harris (15 points, 13 rebounds) starred. Jordan Ngatai, who won a banner with the Nuggets in the 2020 Showdown, banged in 18 points. Nicholas Muszynski posted a double-double of 17 points and 11 rebounds. For the Nuggets, Jaylen Sebree (22 points, 9 rebounds) and Jonathan Janssen (15 points, 6 rebounds) stood out on the statistics sheet. Caleb Smiler made a positive contribution from the bench. But import Don Carey jun had a cold shooting night, landing five from 16 from the field. Both teams struggled from range. But that was more costly for the Nuggets, who do not have a genuine big to mix it up in the paint. They were out rebounded 47-35 which is a big advantage to overcome. The Nuggets last win was against the Indian Panthers, who have since withdrawn from the league. That win has been subtracted from their total, leaving the team 2-12 for the season. It is not a good return considering they are fighting for their future. Their owners, SEN, have signalled they will pull out at the end of the campaign. Ngatai spun his way to the hoop in the opening seconds of the match to highlight how hard it would be for the Nuggets to get stops close to the rim. The Nugget's first play, by contrast, completely lacked direction and ended with Carey throwing up an air ball. It was not a good omen. Matthew Bardsley brought some early hustle for the Nuggets. But the Saints had no problem splitting the defence and started to take control late in the opening period. Marshall banged in a three to help them get in front 22-15. He got busy early in the second and the lead blew out to 12. The Nuggets were putting up some passive defence. Sebree connected from deep and Janssen muscled his way to the hoop for a brace of buckets. He has really lifted his game in recent weeks. The Nuggets got back to within three. It was a terrific rally, but the challenge faded in the second half of the period. Harris made some successful drives to the lid to give his side a 47-37 lead at halftime. Muszynski bullied an offensive rebound partway through the third and made the lay-up to give the Saints their equal biggest lead of the game — 14 points. Darcy Knox got to the hoop in his 100th game. But his side was stuck in catch-up mode and did not have the firepower to bridge the gap. They were down 71-58 with 10 minutes to go. The Nuggets surged again. Sebree hit a couple of lovely jumpers and Bardsley cut the lead to just three again when he slipped in under the hoop and got a cheap basket. They gave themselves a chance to win but the Saints had more composure in the final minute and iced the win. The Nuggets won the Rapid League game 31-30. NBL The scores Wellington Saints 91 Nicholas Marshall 24, Jordan Ngatai 18 Otago Nuggets 79 Jaylen Sebree 22, Jonathan Janssen 15 Quarter scores: 22-15, 47-37, 71-58, 91-79.
Otago Daily Times
25-05-2025
- Sport
- Otago Daily Times
Good effort not enough to end drought
"I think the game's about five minutes too long for us right now." That is the first thought that came to mind for Otago Nuggets coach Mike Kelly following his side's 98-92 loss to the Hawke's Bay Hawks in Dunedin on Saturday night. The Nuggets produced arguably their best effort at home since the narrow loss to the Auckland Tuatara in early April. They are on a nine-game losing streak in the National Basketball League but had an opportunity to break the drought. But the Hawks snatched the win in the final few minutes. They simply had more composure when it mattered the most. "The guys are playing really hard," Kelly said. "They're trying to play together, but we still have our patches of defence where we're not consistent." That has been a familiar theme for the Nuggets. They just have not been able to string stops together often enough. The Nuggets trailed by three points with two minutes remaining but they looked panicked and blundered a possible win away. But there were some promising signs that the next win might be drawing closer. Jonathan Janssen had a monster night. He battled his way to the hoop for 33 points and grabbed 11 rebounds. Jaylen Sebree has his best game in the Nuggets' singlet. He collected 29 points and nine rebounds. But he blotted his copybook with an unprofessional technical foul. He got right in the face of a referee to argue about a call. Don Carey jun (21 points, six assists) burst into life in the second half. No-one else on the Nuggets' roster made much of a dent. "Jono did really well and we're going to need him to score like that. "And Jaylen as well, particularly in that first half." The Hawks spread the scoring more. Daniel Grida and Jackson Ball added 20 apiece, Luca Yates scored 19 and Campbell Scott and Wani Swaka Lo Buluk popped in 18 each. The Nuggets made a promising start. Sebree cut to the hoop and Janssen muscled his way there. Midway through the opening period they led 14-7. Grida is all hustle and he got the visitors going with some good work in the paint. Yates shunted his way to the rim for a bucket. But the Nuggets had the last say in the quarter, potting four free throws to take a 24-18 lead. Sebree connected with the first three of the game three minutes into the second period. Janssen followed his lead with a triple of his own. Moments later he wrestled an offensive, got the foul and added two from the stripe. Sebree drilled a deep three and floated in a mid-range shot to take his total into the 20s. The Nuggets had opened up a 17-point lead but most of it vanished. Ball iced a couple of triples and the Hawks scored 11 unanswered points to close out the half. That was a damaging stretch in the context of the game. Carey had a quiet half but landed a deep three when the Nuggets needed a basket. But Yates was getting some traction inside. He backed his way in, turned and popped in a lay-up to level the score. Scott hit a three and suddenly the Nuggets trailed by seven. All their labour was unravelling. They needed a strong finish to the quarter and they got it. Carey landed from beyond the arc and Patrick Freeman slapped away a shot. With 10 minutes remaining, the score was level 72-72. It all came down to that last 120 seconds. The Hawks nursed a small advantage but was enough to pressure their opponent into mistakes. The Hawks won the Rapid League game 42-31. NBL The scores Hawke's Bay Hawks 98 Daniel Grida 20, Jackson Bell 20 Otago Nuggets 92 Jonathan Janssen 33, Jaylen Sebree 29 Quarter scores: 24-18, 53-47, 72-72.
Otago Daily Times
24-05-2025
- Sport
- Otago Daily Times
Nuggets fall short after big effort
''I think the game's about five minutes too long for us right now.'' That is the first thought that came to mind for Otago Nuggets coach Mike Kelly following his side's 98-92 loss to the Hawke's Bay Hawks in Dunedin on Saturday night. The Nuggets produced arguably their best effort at home since the narrow loss to the Auckland Tuatara in early April. They are on a nine-game losing streak in the National Basketball League but had an opportunity to break the drought. But the Hawks snatched the win in the final few minutes. They simply had more composure when it mattered the most. ''The guys are playing really hard,'' Kelly said. ''They're trying to play together, but we still have our patches of defence where we're not consistent.'' That has been a familiar theme for the Nuggets. They just have not been able to string stops together often enough. The Nuggets trailed by three points with two minutes remaining but they looked panicked and they blundered a possible win away. But there were some promising signs that the next win might be drawing closer. Jonathan Janssen had a monster night. He battled his way to the hoop for 33 points and grabbed 11 rebounds. Jaylen Sebree has his best game in the Nuggets' singlet. He collected 29 points and nine rebounds. But he blotted his copybook with an unprofessional technical foul. He got right in the face of a referee to argue about a call. Don Carey jun (21 points, six assists) burst into life in the second half. No-one else on the Nuggets' roster made much of a dent. ''Jono did really well and we're going to need him to score like that. ''And Jaylen as well, particularly in that first half.'' The Hawks spread the scoring more. Daniel Grida and Jackson Ball added 20 apiece, Luca Yates scored 19 and Campbell Scott and Wani Swaka Lo Buluk popped in 18 each. The Nuggets made a promising start. Sebree cut to the hoop and Janssen muscled his way there. Midway through the opening period they led 14-7. Grida is all hustle and he got the visitors going with some good work in the paint. Yates shunted his way to the rim for a bucket. But the Nuggets had the last say in the quarter, potting four free throws to take a 24-18 lead. Sebree connected with the first three of the game three minutes into the second period. Janssen followed his lead with a triple of his own. Moments later he wrestled an offensive, got the foul and added two from the stripe. Sebree drilled a deep three and floated in a mid-range shot to take his total into the 20s. The Nuggets had opened up a 17-point lead but most of it vanished. Ball iced a couple of triples and the Hawks scored 11 unanswered points to close out the half. That was a damaging stretch in the context of the game. Carey had a quiet half but landed a deep three when the Nuggets needed a basket. But Yates was getting some traction inside. He backed his way in, turned and popped in a lay-up to level the score. Scott hit a three and suddenly the Nuggets trailed by seven All their endeavour was unravelling. They needed a strong finish to the quarter and they got. Carey landed from beyond the arc and Patrick Freeman slapped away a shot. With 10 minutes remaining, the score was level 72-72. It all came down to that last 120 seconds. The Hawks nursed a small advantage but was enough to pressure their opponent into mistakes. The Hawks won the Rapid League game 42-31. NBL The scores Hawke's Bay Hawks 98 (Daniel Grida 20, Jackson Bell 20) Otago Nuggets 92 (Jonathan Janssen 33, Jaylen Sebree 29) Quarter scores: 24-18, 53-47, 72-72, 98-92.
Otago Daily Times
09-05-2025
- Sport
- Otago Daily Times
Nuggets gritty but Bulls take win in Auckland
The Otago Nuggets get an A for effort. But they did not get the W for the win. The Franklin Bulls maintained an edge throughout and posted a 95-87 victory in Auckland last night. Tae Hardy was class. The Bulls guard poured in 35 points, made 10 assists and grabbed seven rebounds in a match-winning effort. Till Gloger muscled his way into the paint for 21 points. Marcel Jones added 17 points from the bench. The Nuggets fought desperately and clawed their way back several times. Jose Perez led the way with 20 points and Matthew Bardsley made an impact off the bench. He brings a lot of defensive hustle. Jaylen Sebree (16 points) and Don Carey jun (15 points, 10 assists) had their moments. The Nuggets just needed a little bit more from the America duo. Carey first shot connected with air and lots of it. The Nuggets guard followed that up with a tough make from the corner. He can be unpredictable but Perez, not so much. He barged his way into the paint and drew a foul. That is what he does. Hardy did what he does too. He accelerated into the paint and slipped in a lay-up. He was just getting started. He banged in a mid-range jumper over Sebree and drilled a triple moments later. His tally climbed rapidly. His range got longer. He was seemingly unstoppable. But the Nuggets closed to within three thanks to a three-point buzzer-beater by Perez. They did well to battle back in the opening period. Cameron stepped in front of Perez early in the second quarter. That is like stepping in front of a fridge when it is rolling down a hill. But he was rewarded with a charging call on Perez. Gloger sent Sebree the wrong way and banked in an easy lay-up. The Nuggets stayed in the fight. Sebree slammed in a dunk to cut the margin to one. The Bulls eased away again. The Nuggets rallied again. Perez went down again. This time he got a flop warning. But a late flurry saw the Bulls extend their lead to 51-46 by halftime. Hardy opened the scoring in the third, finishing off a fast break. Gloger reeled in a bullet pass from Wena Okwera and popped in a lay-up. Nuggets forward Jonathan Janssen hit an important three to trim the lead just as they were on the cusp of letting the game slip away again. Bardsley cut to the hoop and slammed in a duck to inject some energy into the effort in his 99th game for the Nuggets. Sebree inbounded the ball off the bum of Hardy and drove along the baseline for a basket. That was cheeky — boom boom — but the margin blew out to 13. Jones speared in a flat three and popped in a free lay-up moments later. The Nuggets responded with an 11-point run and got back into the contest with 10 minutes to play. But their defence was tiring, the desperation giving way and the tenacity fading. Midway through the final period they trailed by 11 and this time they could not get back in range. The Bulls beat the Nuggets 38-34 in the Rapid League game. Payton Hughes knocked down seven triples in a 25-point haul. NBL The scores Franklin Bulls 95 (Tae Hardy 35, Till Gloger 21) Otago Nuggets 87 (Jose Perez 20, Jaylen Sebree 16) Quarter scores: 32-29, 51-46, 74-69, 95-87.
Otago Daily Times
27-04-2025
- Sport
- Otago Daily Times
Giants end losing streak with win over Otago Nuggets
The Nelson Giants have put up an almighty battle to notch their first game of the NBL season. They beat the Otago Nuggets 98-86 at the Edgar Centre tonight after losing their opening eight games of the season. The visitors led from the opener and while the Nuggets fought back, they were unable to break through the lead. Big Jeremy Combs led the way with a double of 25 points and 11 rebounds. Jose Perez finished with 32 points and 11 rebounds for the Nuggets, while Jonathan Janssen added 16 points. The Giants found Combs in the paint easily, who scored all of their opening 12 points. Hayden Jones tripled for the Giants and experienced veteran Sam Dempster added another to extend 21-16. Jaylen Sebree got down low to stop an easy road to the post. He came up with a block soon after and fired the ball to Mac Stodart to finish off. Dempster drilled another triple to give the Giants a 28-22 lead at the break. The Nuggets struggled to box out, giving the Giants several chances with the ball. The home side eventually stopped the play, thanks again to Sebree's efforts on defence, but were unable to finish. But it was the Giants who had the better of the quarter and started to split their points. Alex Robinson banked a deep two, and sent a great ball in to Lachlan Crate who finished with a dunk to extend the visitors' lead to 10 points. Don Carey Jr drove hard into the paint to hit back, Darcy Knox added another and Janssen spotted the mismatch to deliver. Perez was called for a technical foul late in the second quarter and the Giants held a 51-39 lead at halftime. Stodart opened the second half with a three from the top of the arc, off the back of better hustle from the Nuggets. The Giants put the pressure on around the arc, forcing the Nuggets to swing the ball and battle to find the openings. Combs added to the visitors' tally from the stripe but Stodart hit back with another big three. Carey Jr added another triple and Perez finished off a reverse lay-up to close the gap to six. The Nuggets tightened up defensively and Perez reduced the deficit to four in what was a much better quarter from the home side. But the Giants fought back and returned their lead to 74-64 at the end of the third quarter. They came out of the break the better as well, quickly shifting to a commanding 83-65 lead. Sebree found Janssen under the hoop to close the gap to nine, but Liam Judd banked a triple to restore a 92-78 buffer. Perez added consecutive triples and Sebree added another, but it was not enough in the end. The Giants had a 38-35 win in the Rapid League game. NBL The scores Nelson Giants 98 Jeremy Combs 25, Callum McRae 18 Otago Nuggets 86 Jose Perez 32, Jonathan Janssen 16 Quarter scores: Nelson Giants 28-22, 51-39, 74-64.
