Posted on Sunday, June 28th, 2026
Game Recap: Rams v Hawks
Result: Wheeler Motor Company Canterbury Rams (93) defeat Big Barrel Hawke’s Bay Hawks (77)
The start of this match would begin fairly even. The two teams trading shots, the Rams showing their strength of their starting lineup while Dan Grida came out aggressive. The game would then go on to look like many of the Rams games. The home side would string together numerous stops while scoring on the other end, ultimately the visitors would blink and find themselves down double digits. The first quarter would end with the Hawks down 30-16. The Hawks would dig slightly into their deficit with a 19-18 quarter in their favour. The third quarter would heavily favour the visitors. The Hawks came out and starting hitting shots they were previously missing. They’d go on a run of their own with Jeremy Mclaughlin capping off a 34 point quarter with a buzzer beating 3. Ultimately the fourth quarter would decide the match. The Rams locked down the visitors on defence, holding them to only 8 points, while Jack Andrew would outscore the Hawks by himself 12-8 in the fourth quarter.
Leading Players
Wheeler Motor Company Canterbury Rams: Jack Andrew (28p, 11r, 3b), Taylor Britt (22p, 4r, 8a, 2s), Rene Rougeau (15p, 8r, 6a)
Big Barrel Hawke’s Bay Hawks: Dan Grida (26p, 8r, 4a, 2s, 2b), Keanu Rasmussen (10p, 6a, 4s), Jeremy Mclaughlin (9p, 4r, 3s, 2b)
MVP Votes:
Jack Andrew (Rams) – 10
Dan Grida (Hawks) – 8
Taylor Britt (Rams) – 6
Rene Rougeau (Rams) – 4
Keanu Rasmussen (Hawks) – 1
Maz Taylor (Hawks) – 1
Rapid League game:
Result: Mad Butcher Canterbury Rams (34) defeat TotalEnergies Hawke’s Bay Hawks (30)
Down a few key personnel, the home team Rams weren’t fazed. Bringing the next man up mentality, they launched an offensive attack that took the Hawks by surprise. They’d take a 12-8 lead and would stretch that lead significantly with 13 unanswered points. Coming out of the half, the Hawks would go on a run of their own going 14-3 in their favour. The gap would close to 4 and so creating a match that would go down to the fourth quarter.
Leading Players
Mad Butcher Canterbury Rams: Milan Newton (15p, 3r, 2a), Chris Christof (10p)
TotalEnergies Hawke’s Bay Hawks: Jacob Murphy (8p, 2s), Kobe Kara (6p, 3r)
Rapid League MVP Votes:
Milan Newton (Rams) – 10
Ezrah Eagle (Hawks) – 6
Kobe Kara (Hawks) – 6
Chris Christof (Rams) – 4
Tony Worthington (Rams) – 4