PNG U18 men split Cairns tour

THE Papua New Guinea Under-18 men’s basketball team split their two-game tour of Australia with a win and a loss.
The visitors beat the Cairns Stingers U18s, 80-62, on Sunday afternoon, before being outclassed by the Cairns Marlins U18 representative side, 99-58, on Monday night.
“In the opening match, I thought we did a great job defensively, which led to a lot of fast-break opportunities,” Basketball Federation of PNG chief executive officer and U18 coach Joel Khalu said.
In Sunday’s matchup, PNG played to their potential, putting on a ‘run-and-gun’ show in front of a large Fish Tank crowd.
While the team excited spectators with their dynamic, offensive style of play, it was a solid second quarter defensive showing that helped the team race to a 36-23 halftime lead. The lead extended out to as many as 25-points throughout the third term, before the Stingers pegged it back to the final 18-point margin. PNG guard Moses Kairi showed his shooting quality, bagging 18-points, including four long-range triples. Australian-based PNG rep Liam Wright also had a solid all-around performance, reeling in 19 points.
In their second game, a slow start hurt PNG, with the Marlins jumping out to a 29-19 first quarter lead.
Australian U17 star Kody Stattman was dominant for the hosts, piling 17 points in the opening stanza, including five three-pointers.
The scoring spree continued in the second period, with the Marlins holding a 50-31 halftime lead.
On the back of a vocal PNG crowd, the visitors made a run, reducing the lead down to nine points midway through the third frame.
It was not to be PNG’s day however, with the Marlins holding strong – their depth and experience helping them seal the 41-point victory.
“To the players’ credit though, they never gave up and kept on fighting and it was pleasing to see that PNG passion and pride until the final siren,” Khalu said.