APIA (Samoa) - In the third day of the U17 Oceania Cup 2025, Australia and New Zealand remained undefeated.
Guam and Australia gave an incredible performance during the first game of the day.
The reigning champions got ahead in the first quarter, but Guam pushed back. With quick ball movement and fast-paced man-to-man defense, Australia were able to hold its lead, ending with a score of 109-66.
Australia has had a significant lead over Guam for years. At the last FIBA U17 Oceania Championship in PNG, Australia beat Guam by over 100 points (143-24). In Samoa, the fact that Guam held Australia within 30 points for almost the entire game demonstrates their improvement in player and program development.
Koby Moir proved his skills, scoring 15 points and 2 blocks. Other standout players were Isaac Riddle (19 points), Harry Cook (14 rebounds), Jai Fa'ale (13 points), and Billy McRae (8 rebounds).
"My role was to come onto the court and provide the energy," Moir said. "I've always believed my defence guides my offence, so I just worked as hard as I could on defence for the offence to come to me."
Moir previously attended the Basketball Without Borders program in Asia, where he received the Patrick Baumann Sportsmanship Award. Being selected for this program and being coached by basketball legends has significantly improved his game.
"Tyrese Maxey was my coach over there, and just to be able to learn off him, the way he moves, gets to the rim, passes. I've really seen that come out here, where I know where my teammates are, and I know where to pass it. I learned a lot from him," Moir said.
Guam pushed Australia with a competitive drive. Even though they didn't win, they proved themselves to be an up and coming team that has the potential to keep going toe-to-toe with the reigning champions.
Bless Aisek was their top scorer with 14 points, 5 rebounds and 4 steals. Lynnwood Baker scored 13 points and had 4 turnovers, while Jarret Victor Ko scored 10 points.
New Zealand dominated against the host nation, Samoa. With their lightning-quick passes and movement that created gaps in Samoa's defence, the Junior Tall Blacks won the game, 126-50.
Hoani Ifopo-Togia led New Zealand to its second victory, scoring 24 points. Milan Newton scored 15 points, 8 assists and 3 steals, while Harry Kelso had 13 points and 7 rebounds.
"Our game plan was to go through and execute offence and really be intense with our defence," Ifopo-Togia said. "It was a good Samoa side, lots of respect to them, they’re a great team."
Ifopo-Togia expressed his gratitude for being able to represent New Zealand in the Junior Tall Blacks jersey.
"It’s my first time representing the country, and I’m wearing the jersey with honour and pride."
Samoa put up a fight against New Zealand but was ultimately overpowered. Brandon Gray scored 11 points and 5 steals, Kingston Tutani scored 11 points and 4 turnovers, while Micah Watson had 5 rebounds.
The FIBA U17 Oceania Cup continues tomorrow with quarterfinal games. Guam takes on the Cook Islands at 9 AM (local time), followed by Fiji going against Samoa at 11 AM (local time), then Australia facing New Zealand at 7:30 PM.
The FIBA U17 Oceania Cup and FIBA U17 Women’s Oceania Cup is being hosted by the Samoa National Basketball Association in Apia from December 8 to 13. The event is supported by the Government of Samoa under the Ministry of Sport and Recreation, with the two teams qualifying for the FIBA U18 Asia Cup and FIBA U18 Women’s Asia Cup 2026.
All games are livestreamed via the FIBA YouTube Channel in collaboration with BluWave Media.
FIBA