Purchase Tickets Here<\/a><\/p>\nLast Time Out<\/p>\n
The Airs were beaten 81-71 by the Mills Albert Wellington Saints in Hawera. Coming off their highest-scoring game of the season, the Saints struggled early, and so did the Airs, with seven turnovers apiece setting the tone in a low-scoring first quarter.<\/p>\n
Elijah Pepper helped Wellington settle, scoring efficiently in the second quarter as the Saints opened a six-point halftime lead. Taranaki made a run in the third behind Aaron Cook Jr., but Wellington eventually pulled away in the fourth to secure the win.<\/p>\n
Taranaki Airs: Aaron Cook Jr. (15p, 3r, 5a, 4s), James Moors (14p, 9r), Quintin Bailey (10p, 5r, +12)
\nMills Albert Wellington Saints: Elijah Pepper (29p, 8r, 3a), Akech Aliir (19p, 8r, 2a), Carlin Davison (10p, 6r, 7a, 3s)<\/p>\n
The Rams bounced back with a 100-93 road win over the Jets. Canterbury was missing Brown\u2019s important two-way game allowing Manawat\u016b to start strongly behind good shot-making and early energy.<\/p>\n
Jamal Poplar Jr. found himself in foul trouble early, which helped Canterbury stay within tight, before the Rams took control in the second quarter. Choh turned on with a major scoring and rebounding performance, while Withers found form from deep and Andrew was his efficient self to give Canterbury the frontcourt production needed to hold off a dangerous Jets side.<\/p>\n
Property Brokers Manawat\u016b Jets: Isiah Small (23p, 15r, 5a), Corey Webster (16p, 3r, 3a), Kaden Sand (13p, 3r, 3a, 2s)
\nWheeler Motor Company Canterbury Rams: Tamenang Choh (22p, 11r, 2a), Todd Withers (22p, 5r, 2s), Jack Andrew (18p, 13r, 2a)<\/p>\n
What to Expect<\/p>\n
Projected Starters<\/p>\n
Taranaki Airs
\nPG: Aaron Cook Jr.
\nG:\u00a0 \u00a0 Xavier Green
\nF:\u00a0 \u00a0 Brandon Stroud
\nF:\u00a0 \u00a0 Taane Samuel
\nF:\u00a0 \u00a0 James Moors<\/p>\n
Wheeler Motor Company Canterbury Rams
\nG: Taylor Britt
\nG: Mana Martin
\nF: Tamenang Choh
\nF: Ren\u00e9 Rougeau
\nC: Jack Andrew<\/p>\n
The Rams are still without Brown, which impacts the gameplan on both ends of the court.\u00a0 Without him, the Rams need Choh, Rougeau, Withers and Andrew to cover more ground collectively which the team has the talent to do.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Choh\u2019s production gives the Rams another scoring option from the wing who can attack the paint, Andrew is one of the most efficient interior players in the league, and Withers\u2019 return gives them floor spacing, defence and experience. Britt remains the the key to everything, with his ability to create for himself and others, and the Rams have enough structure to control tempo if they protect the rock.<\/p>\n
The quick turnaround is a factor. Canterbury played Friday Night, and with a short handed unit that could matter against an Airs team with athleticism, size and a home crowd behind it. Taranaki will want to test the Rams\u2019 legs early, push off misses and make the visitors defend deeper into possessions.<\/p>\n
For the Airs, the key is making the frontcourt work. Moors has been solid in the paint, while Stroud has added offensive punch and defensive activity. Cook Jr. continues to facilitate and Xavier Green remains Taranaki\u2019s key scoring option. If that group can find a better offensive rhythm, the Airs have enough talent to make this a difficult road assignment for Canterbury.<\/p>\n
Matchup to Watch: Aaron Cook Jr. v Taylor Britt<\/p>\n
Cook Jr. remains Taranaki\u2019s main organiser, averaging 14.1 points and 7.1 assists. His ability to keep the Airs in structure will be crucial against a Rams defence that can still apply pressure even without Brown. If Cook Jr. can limit turnovers, get Green and Stroud downhill, and involve Moors early, Taranaki can make Canterbury work for every stop.<\/p>\n
Britt is Canterbury\u2019s engine, averaging 21.5 points and 8.1 assists. With Brown out and the Rams on a short turnaround, his decision-making becomes even more important. He will need to control tempo, create clean looks for Choh, Andrew, Withers and Rougeau, and avoid letting the Airs turn this into a transition-heavy game.<\/p>\n
If Cook Jr. wins the pace battle, Taranaki can make this uncomfortable. If Britt controls the tempo, Canterbury can lean on its structure and experience.<\/p>\n
Matchup to Watch: James Moors v Jack Andrew<\/p>\n
Moors has immediately changed the look of the Airs. He gives Taranaki size, rebounding and another frontcourt passer, but it his ability to score in the paint that is of most value to his team. His challenge is staying out of foul trouble and making his size count against one of the league\u2019s best bigs.<\/p>\n
Andrew has been outstanding for the Rams, averaging 16.1 points, 9.6 rebounds and 1.8 blocks while shooting 64 percent from the field. He is a constant threat on the offensive glass and gives Canterbury a reliable interior target when the offence needs a high-percentage touch.<\/p>\n
If Moors can hold his ground, clean the defensive boards and force Andrew to defend without fouling, Taranaki can keep the possession count closer. If Andrew controls the paint, the Rams will have a strong platform even without Brown.<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
Individual Leaders
\n
\n
\n
\nCategory
\nTaranaki Airs
\nWheeler Motor Company Canterbury Rams
\n
\n
\n
\n
\nLeading scorer
\nXavier Green 17.3
\nWalter Brown 23.1
\n
\n
\nLeading rebounder
\nJames Moors 11.0
\nJack Andrew 9.6
\n
\n
\nLeading assists
\nAaron Cook Jr. 7.1
\nTaylor Britt 8.1
\n
\n
\nBest FG%
\nQuintin Bailey 53%
\nJack Andrew 64%
\n
\n
\nBest 3PT FG%
\nCook Jr. \/ Tuuta 46%
\nWalter Brown 47%
\n
\n
\nBlocks
\nQuintin Bailey 1.0
\nJack Andrew 1.8
\n
\n
\nSteals
\nAaron Cook Jr. 2.9
\nWalter Brown 1.7
\n
\n
\nMinutes
\nAaron Cook Jr. 35.2
\nTaylor Britt 33.0
\n
\n
<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
Stats that Matter
\n
\n
\n
\nStat
\nTaranaki Airs
\nWheeler Motor Company Canterbury Rams
\n
\n
\n
\n
\nPoints Per Game
\n83.1 (11th)
\n97.5 (2nd)
\n
\n
\nPoints Allowed Per Game
\n90.9 (6th)
\n89.9 (4th)
\n
\n
\nScoring Margin
\n-7.8 (10th)
\n+7.6 (3rd)
\n
\n
\nField Goal %
\n46% (9th)
\n48% (5th)
\n
\n
\nField Goal % Defence
\n48% (8th)
\n45% (3rd)
\n
\n
\nFree Throw %
\n63% (10th)
\n72% (4th)
\n
\n
\n3-Point %
\n30% (10th)
\n37% (3rd)
\n
\n
\n3-Point % Defence
\n34% (7th)
\n30% (1st)
\n
\n
\n3-Point FG Made
\n8.1 (10th)
\n10.1 (6th)
\n
\n
\nRebounds Per Game
\n36.0 (10th)
\n43.6 (1st)
\n
\n
\nRebounding Margin
\n-8.3 (11th)
\n+3.8 (2nd)
\n
\n
\nAssists Per Game
\n18.4 (9th)
\n20.9 (5th)
\n
\n
\nAssist\/Turnover Ratio
\n1.3 (10th)
\n1.9 (2nd)
\n
\n
\nSteals Per Game
\n9.9 (1st)
\n6.4 (10th)
\n
\n
\nBlocks Per Game
\n2.8 (6th)
\n5.4 (1st)
\n
\n
<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
Final Word<\/p>\n
Canterbury is still one of the league\u2019s best defensive and possession-control teams, even with Brown out, ranking near the top in scoring margin, rebounding, blocks and assist-to-turnover ratio. Taranaki\u2019s best point of difference is pressure, with the Airs sitting among the league leaders in steals, but they need more efficient scoring and a better rebounding night to turn that pressure into a result.<\/p>\n
For the Airs, this is about taking advantage of the Rams\u2019 short turnaround and making the game physical early. If Cook Jr. controls the tempo, Moors and Stroud win their matchups and Green finds his scoring rhythm, Taranaki can make this a real home-court test.<\/p>\n
For Canterbury, this is about backing up Friday\u2019s road win and continuing to adjust without Brown. If Britt keeps the Rams organised, Choh and Andrew control the frontcourt, and Withers gives them two-way impact, Canterbury has the structure to leave New Plymouth with another important road win.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Posted on Sunday, May 24th, 2026 Game Preview: Airs vs Rams Game Preview: Taranaki Airs (3-5) v Wheeler…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":690417,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[574],"tags":[64,63,726,85],"class_list":["post-690416","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-basketball","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-basketball","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/690416","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=690416"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/690416\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/690417"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=690416"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=690416"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=690416"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Airs-v-Rams.png\" "\\"\\"\/")
<\/p>\n