The Canterbury Rams are swimming with the Southland Sharks this Saturday night and only one team will leave with their win streak intact.
Game Info
Saturday, May 3rd, 2025.
Rapid League: 6:30 PM. Sal’s NBL: 7:30pm.
ILT Stadium Southland, Invercargill.
Watch live on Sky Sport 4 (NZ), ESPN3 (USA), FIBA YouTube (Globally)
So, What Are We Dealing With?
On March 22nd, the Rams took care of business at home in a lopsided 120-84 victory over the Sharks. This was just one of a handful of disappointing results for Southland, as by April 4th they found themselves 1-4 on the season.
A lot has changed since then for Southland. The tides have turned in the mighty south and they’ve won 4 of their last 5 games, including a shocking 114-71 demolition job on the Franklin Bulls.
Circling back to our first encounter with the Sharks, we did an excellent job of limiting the impact of imports Josiah Allick (22.3 PPG, 10.9 RPG) and Caleb Asberry (13.8 PPG, 7.5 APG), holding both well below their season averages.
Keylan Boone starred in that initial showdown, scoring 26 points and nailing 5 triples. However, this wasn’t a one-time thing. Boone has proven to be one of the most dangerous scorers in the league. Standing at a lanky 6’8”, his height makes him a difficult shooter to contest. He’s shooting 47.4% from deep on the year, and knocking down a league-best 3.7 three pointers per game.
The Hot Topic: Do We Still Have Momentum?
Our Auckland trip was an interesting one to say the least. It began with perhaps our most dominant game in franchise history with the boys securing an unbelievable 53-point win over the Tuatara. We then drove south to ride the hot hand to the front door of the Indian Panthers. Unfortunately, we didn’t get the chance to play that game (read here for more information).
Luckily for us, this Southland Sharks game is sitting right around the corner, but the question stands. could we see last Saturday’s scorching shooting night carry over to Invercargill?
Injury Report (as of 03/05/25)
Southland Sharks
QUESTIONABLE – Johnny Helu (Foot)
OUT – Sam Timmins (Overseas)
OUT – Jack Ramage (Arm)
Canterbury Rams
OUT – Jake Holmes (NZ Select Team)
OUT – Mana Martin (NZ Select Team)
OUT – Jonty Bond (NZ Select Team)
