Boomers thump Tall Blacks to clinch Trans-Tasman series
Steve Barrett |
The Boomers have clinched the inaugural Trans-Tasman Throwdown with an emphatic 92-67 win over New Zealand at a sold-out UniSC Arena.
Australia’s defence was all over the Tall Blacks early on the Sunshine Coast on Friday night, before the Boomers finished with a flurry on offence, scoring 15 of the last 16 points.
Sydney Kings captain Xavier Cooks (16 points, eight rebounds) stepped up impressively after he was well held in Wednesday’s series opener in Adelaide.
Perth Wildcat Elijah Pepper (12 points, five boards) and Illawarra Hawks’ championship-winning veteran Todd Blanchfield (11, six) provided punch off the bench.
“That’s the way Boomers culture is built,” Australia captain Mitch Norton said.
“It’s not just one guy. We’ve got a number of guys who can step up and our depth is endless, really. It’s really cool to be part of.”
Reserve Taylor Britt (19 points) and Melbourne United veteran Shea Ili (18) were the standouts for the visitors.
The Boomers held the tourists to 21 per cent shooting from the field in the first term to open up an 18-10 quarter-time lead.
The second stanza was more free flowing, but still on the terms of the hosts, who got on a roll late with a pair of Blanchfield three-pointers to hold sway 42-28 at half-time.
The home side’s advantage was out to 18 points before Britt went on a tear for the Tall Blacks, single-handedly outscoring Australia 9-0 in less than two minutes to slice the margin to single digits.
The gap was down to six points on a pair of Ili free throws early in the fourth period, before Norton, Cooks and Pepper revived the Aussies, who sprinted to the finish line.
The Boomers, who won the opening stoush in Adelaide by 12 points, hold an unassailable 2-0 lead in the first bilateral series between the rivals since 2015.
The third and final game will be in Hamilton in NZ on Sunday.
AAP
