THE OFFICIAL SITE OF THE CANTERBURY RAMS
CANTERBURY RAMPAGES 2001

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POPE HAMMERS HAPLESS HAWKS
by Corey Brown and Piet Van Hasselt

WestpacTrust Canterbury Rams American import, John "Pope" Whorton, blasted his way to a season high tally of 32 points and 19 rebounds against the Mighty Hawks on Friday night at the WestpacTrust Centre.

Whorton was instrumental in the Rams comprehensive 97-72 victory over the error-ridden visitors. The towering centre completely dominated his opponents and his solid rebounding skills ensured the Rams were not deprived of valuable possession.

Whorton's outstanding performance further pushes his claims for a spot on the National Basketball League (NBL) All Star Five and the league's most outstanding forward award, after being announced as a finalist for both last week.

The victory keeps the Rams' playoff chances alive, however they will have to win their remaining two games, home versus Waikato and away to Nelson, and hope other teams falter.

The Rams began strongly and shot to an early 12-point lead 15-3, thanks to Whorton and Power Forward Andrew Gardiner working in tandem to produce some sensational baskets. However the Hawks pulled the lead back at the end of the first quarter, levelling the game at 22 points apiece.

In the second quarter the Hawks edged ahead of the Rams 30-24, and had the 2000 strong crowd of Rams Fans worried. However, the lead was short-lived as turnovers proved costly for the Hawks, allowing the Rams to creep back into the match. At half-time the Rams were in front 45-38 with Whorton having contributed a sublime 26 points.

In the second half the Rams propelled themselves out of the Hawks' grasp and built an insurmountable lead. A flurry of three-pointers from Rams' Carlo Varricchio (3), Tim Edmonds (3) Craig Farrant (2), and Craig Hickford (2) ensured the win and in the final quarter the home-side posted 30 points to the Hawks' mere 13 points.

Apart from Whorton topping the scoresheet, there were notable contributions from several of the Rams reserves. Hustling playmaker and ever-physical Tim Edmonds was next best with 15 points. Edmonds was also able to dish out five assists and grab four rebounds in his 17 minutes of court time. Varricchio's three pointers put him next best with 9 points, while the reliable Craig Farrant chimed in with 8 points. Salasopo Tulua played just 11 minutes in the game, but in that time he converted four of his five shot attempts to score 8 points.

For the Mighty Hawks, three players kept their team in the hunt but in the end three were not enough. Guard Paora Winitana top scored with 20 points, including two spectacular three-pointers, while live-wire youngster Puke Lenden was next best with 17 points and American Sean Muilenburg collected 14 points and 9 rebounds. Hawks coach Curtis Wooten and the team were left to ponder just how they were forced into an astonishing 30 turnovers!

Earlier in the night, the Kaikoura Whale Riders defeated the Canterbury Knights 72-62. The Knights failed to qualify for the national finals after Kaikoura beat Otago on Saturday night by four points. This means Kaikoura is joined by Otago as qualifiers, as Otago go through with the bonus point.

The Rams have their last home game of the season at the WestpacTrust Centre this Saturday 4 August taking on the unbeaten Waikato Titans, tipping off at the earlier time of 2:30pm.

WestpacTrust Canterbury Rams vs. The Mighty Hawks
Date: 27/7/2001   Time: 19:00   Site: WestpacTrust Centre

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