PhotosportNZ
Southland Sharks import Josh Cunningham and Nelson Giants centre Anzac Risetto during the NBL season opener at the Trafalgar Centre.
The Southland Sharks have delivered a hard-fought 84-65 win against the Mike Pero Nelson Giants to start their 2021 Sal s National Basketball League campaign. In a physical encounter, the travelling SIT Zero Fees Sharks used a 43-28 second half to take a season-opening victory, helped largely by a 47 per cent shooting clip compared with the Giants frustrating 31 per cent effort. Played in front of a packed crowd at Nelson’sTrafalgar Centre, the going was tough early as both teams tried to find their feet, leading to lots of opportunities and highlights and very little separating the pair.
The 10 teams play each other twice in a home and away format, with the season culminating in a Final Four playoff in July. For the Giants, it means a return to the Trafalgar Centre and playing before their loyal fans after an almost two-year absence. The Giants will take to the court with a typically local flavour to their roster, spearheaded by talismanic veteran Sam Dempster, who returns for his 13th year in blue and white having missed the curtailed Auckland-based 2020 season due to work commitments. The former Nayland College rebound magnet will bring his usual brand of leadership, hard work, and smarts to the court, while former Waimea College star Tom Ingham will look to build on an impressive 2020 where he footed it with some of the top Kiwis in the league.