Dominating City Hawks bag their first grand final

It was a dream grand final for the City Hawks, who shut down the Maunu Lights to snare their first Super Basketball League title.

City dominated Friday night's final in front of a packed Kensington Stadium crowd, never taking their eyes off the prize to triumph over Maunu, 73-65.

The Hawks started courageously, leading by three points after the first quarter, and they never relinquished their lead, despite a late challenge from Maunu.

With City point guard Kane Rudolph (20 points) and shooting guard Graeme Lawson (12) causing chaos on the court, the Hawks blew out their lead to 48-36 at halftime.

Lawson's defence was impressive - his presence on the court was much bigger than his stature. He hustled for the ball and stole numerous rebounds resulting in baskets for the Hawks, while Rudolph's shot selection helped him top score. His contribution to the game won him Most Valuable Player award for the final.

Maunu missed centre Justin Friedrich - their top scorer this season - when he got into early foul trouble and was benched during the second quarter. The Hawks were unstoppable during the third quarter, escaping out to a 19-point lead. However, when the 2m-tall Friedrich came back on, he and Ethan Penney reined in the Hawks to get within five points.

"He was shooting the lights out and just wasn't missing ... he has shot well for us all season and was impressive on Friday," Maunu small forward Jason Edwards said.

Friedrich was the top scorer in the previous weekend's semifinal, where Maunu upset minor premiers Whangaruru to secure a finals berth against the Hawks, who finished the regular season in second spot.

While Maunu threw everything at the Hawks, City dug deep and clung to their lead. Hawks skipper Travis McIlroy said: "My team were unbelievable, everyone stepped up. Kane and Graeme were on fire ... and it meant a lot to have the smallest guys in the team doing so much in the game."

McIlroy was this season's top scorer in the league, averaging 37.8 points. On Friday, he shot 16 points - not many compared to the 50 points he scored four weeks ago in the round robin - but it showed how much of a team effort the final's victory was, he said.

McIlroy, along with Whangaruru's Imrahn Wihongi-Henare, won the MVP award for the league.

Despite the loss, Edwards said Maunu relished the experience of playing in their first grand final. "It was awesome. It was such an intense game and the crowd were crazy - the stadium was packed. The game could have gone either way for a while there - but the boys had fun, so that's what matters."

The half-time entertainment proved a hit, with several members of the Warriors league squad turning up to shoot hoops and mingle.

The Warriors were in Whangarei for their final pre-season match on Saturday, against Sunshine Coast Sea Eagles at Toll Stadium, and those not playing in the clash, including Shaun Johnson, Elijah Taylor, Jacob Lillyman, James Maloney, Simon Mannering, Feleti Mateo and Manu Vatuvei took part in various community activities, including attending the basketball final.