WITH the New Zealand National Basketball League (NZNBL) 18IN18 competition done and dusted, we take a look back at each of the six teams, how they performed and some of the top talents who stood out across the condensed season.

We start with the last placed Canterbury Wildcats, who failed to get a win, but were the top defensive team in terms of steals, though struggled to score, with a season-high 63 points, and a season-low 42 points.

SUMMARY:

Position: 6th
Wins: 0
Losses: 5

STATS:

Points: 54.6 (6th)
Rebounds: 39.8 (6th)
Assists: 12.0 (5th)
Steals: 16.4 (1st)
Blocks: 0.8 (6th)
FG%: 30.8 (6th)

The stats tell a story of a young side developing, but that was ultimately just outclassed by opponents, Their best game came against eventual finalists Waikato Wizards, going down 63-69, while all the other losses were double-figure points. In terms of pure stats, they actually dominated the steals category, ranking a clear first in the competition, but were either fifth (assists) or sixth in every other key statistic.

RESULTS:

1: lost to Auckland Dream by 15 points
2: lost to Capital Swish by 13 points
3: lost to Waikato Wizards by 6 points
4: lost to Harbour Breeze by 22 points
5: lost to Otago Gold Rush by 14 points

TOP TALENT:

Gemma Etheredge

Ranked first at the Wildcats for points, and second for rebounds, steals and assists, Etheredge was a clear standout in a disappointing winless season for Canterbury. She shot at 33 per cent from the field, finishing wiht 11.5 points, 9.0 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 3.0 steals. She only played the four games, but started strongly, putting up 17 points apiece in her opening two matches against the Wizards and Dream, while also recording six and 12 rebounds, and six and five assists in back-to-back big performances. Her rebounding was a feature of her game and she was a key cog in the unit early on.

OTHERS:

Tera-Ma-Teata Elia almost averaged a double-double thanks to her 8.8 points and 10.0 rebounds as well as 4.5 steals, while Brittany Richards (7.8 points, 4.2 rebounds), Rosalia Samia (7.6 points, 2.2 rebounds and 1.8 steals), Lauryn Hippolite (7.3 points, 2.0 rebounds) and Isabelle Cook (7.0 points) all contributed strongly. Captain Shea Crotty was strong on the defensive end with 4.4 steals to go with 5.0 points, 3.8 rebounds and 2.4 assists as the other player to reach five points per game this season.