Basketball: Waikato's show of strength clears deck for at-home final

By PETER JESSUP

The Waikato Titans are poised to sweep a third consecutive national league title after they demolished Auckland 98-77 in their playoff to set up a final against Wellington Saints, who were similarly convincing winners 89-70 over Manawatu yesterday.

Their only problem may be a broken index finger for centre Pero Cameron on his right and shooting hand. He will wait for swelling to subside before it is x-rayed.

The Titans have topped the league all season and earn home advantage, with the season decider to be played at 3pm next Saturday at Mystery Creek, Hamilton.

Saints looked far more energetic and committed yesterday, making grabs and steals they shouldn't have been allowed. Their front line of Michael Thompson, Ben Knight and Brendon Polyblank was too strong.

But Waikato coach Jeff Green said they were the team he preferred to play.

"They've only got George Leafa at point and once he's off we'd see that as a weakness. That's how it's been in the season [Titans' two wins]."

The Titans beat Nelson in the final last year and Saints in 2001. If Green gets the win yet again it will be the coach's fifth title after two with the Lower Hutt Lakers in the early 90s.

He has made no secret of the fact that he wants six, one more than Tall Blacks coach Tab Baldwin won with Auckland in the 90s, and that he'll use that as leverage when he next applies for the national job that has twice eluded him.

"We'll press the hell out of them. If we stick to our game they won't be able to stick with us."

Green worked his bench well on Saturday in Te Awamutu and Auckland simply had the game taken away from them. To give themselves a chance the Stars needed to score just about every time they forced through the Titans' zone. They couldn't.

The home team could, dropping 11 from 25 three-point attempts. At times they came consecutively, from Pero Cameron and Nat Connell, demoralising the visitors.

Auckland started well, their starting five all scoring early points to settle into the game. But as the game wore on, they wore out.

They relinquished an early lead with a turnover midway through the first quarter and the Titans never looked back. It was 32-24 at the first break, 47-41 at half-time.

The only way the Stars might have thrown the home team off their game was to sink a high percentage of their shots, but it was Waikato that kept dropping the long-range killers. The Stars had no answer to the relentless roll and by the third quarter body language told the tale - they were head down, shoulders slumped.

Cameron started that quarter with eight consecutive points, two shots from beyond the arc to increase the lead and it closed at 78-59.

It was all credit to the Stars that they never collapsed, but even in the last quarter they were beaten 20-18, when the Titans had reason to relax.

Cameron looked short of a run but still top-scored for Titans with 17. Big contributions came from Connell, 15, and Iona Enosa, 14. David Hopoi's leadership was smart, Prem Krishna's defence great and Dillon Boucher played his usual energising game.

Tall Black Aaron Olson top-scored for the game with 24, Casey Frank played tough for 15 points, Lindsay Tait showed his class against the best team in the league with good build-up from point and a good assists game as well as 14 points.

The surprise yesterday was that Saints captain Terrence Lewis didn't score well. He played a management game of assists and defence and it paid off.

"He won't score low two games in a row," Green said, "and that's a worry."

He also rates the Saints' Aussie import Ben Knight. "Interesting," was his prediction for the final. "They've got some talent. They'll give us a run."

But clearly he feels the Titans' fast-break runs will be too much for another team short on the bench, and way short of his finals experience.