Junior Tall Blacks top U-19 World Cup group
- NZ Sports Wire
- Jun 30
- 3 min read
The Junior Tall Blacks have topped their group at the FIBA Under-19 Basketball World Cup with a game to spare.
New Zealand opened the tournament in Lausanne, Switzerland, with a 77-72 win over Argentina on Saturday (Sunday NZ Time), following it with a 73-50 victory against Mali on Sunday (Monday NZT).
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With four points and a final group game against winless Serbia on Tuesday (Wednesday NZT), the Kiwis are guaranteed to finish atop Group A, even with a loss to Serbia, due to head-to-head tiebreakers.
New Zealand conceded the game's first 13 points and trailed by as many as 16 points in the opening quarter, before coming back in the second quarter and holding off Argentina late for the upset.
Hawke's Bay Hawks guard Jackson Ball led the way with 17 points (5/16 FG, 3/11 3pt, 4/5 FT), five rebounds and three assists, while Canterbury Rams guard Tama Isaac had 14 points (5/10 FG, 2/4 3pt), seven boards and seven assists.
Nelson Giants guard Hayden Jones, son of Tall Blacks legend Phill Jones, finished with nine points, 13 rebounds and two blocks, while Oscar Goodman matched him with nine points, and Tauranga Whai forward Carter Hopoi contributed seven points and seven boards.
A 22-11 second quarter got the Matt Lacey-coached team back into the contest, but they still trailed by four with six minutes remaining. Jones free-throws and a Xanda Marsters three gave them the lead for good.
Ball and Jones combined for New Zealand's last 10 points of the game, with Ball sinking the clinching free-throws and Jones providing a crucial block and steal in the final minute after Argentina closed within two.
Against Mali, Jones was the leading scorer, finishing with 19 points (7/12 FG, 4/6 3pt) and eight rebounds, supported by Hopoi's 11 points (2/6 FG, 6/8 FT) and four boards.
After exploding out to a 22-9 lead after the opening period, the JTBs conceded 29 points in the second to only lead by three at the main break.
However, they clamped down at the defensive end, allowing just 12 points the rest of the way and holding Mali to 26 percent shooting from the field and 16 percent on three-point attempts for the game.
Isaac grabbed three steals, to go with nine points and eight rebounds, while Oscar Goodman and Julius Halaifonua pulled down nine and eight boards, respectively.
With all 16 teams reaching the knockout stage, the JTBs will face the fourth-placed team from Group B (Slovenia or China) in the Round of 16 on Wednesday (Thursday NZT).
The core of the JTBs roster was part of the Emerging JTBs team that stunningly reached the semifinals at last year's FIBA Under-17 Basketball World Cup in Turkey.
JUNIOR TALL BLACKS RESULTS
Junior Tall Blacks 77 (Jackson Ball 17, Tama Isaac 14, Oscar Goodman 9, Hayden Jones 9) Argentina 72. 1Q: 18-31, HT: 40-42, 3Q: 56-57
Junior Tall Blacks 73 (Hayden Jones 19, Carter Hopoi 11, Tama Isaac 9) Mali 50. 1Q: 22-9, HT: 41-38, 3Q: 58-43
