The Auckland Tuatara will meet the defending champion Canterbury Rams in the National Basketball League (NBL) grand final.
The Tuatara came from 10 points down entering the fourth quarter to score an exciting 78-75 victory over the cross-city rival Franklin Bulls in the second semifinal at Auckland's Eventfinda Stadium on Wednesday night.
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The championship game - to be played at Christchurch's Cowles Stadium on Sunday (tip-off 2.30pm) - will be a repeat of last year’s final when the Rams prevailed. It will also be a third straight grand final for the Tuatara as they look to break through for a first-ever title.
On the back of a season-best performance from Kiwi centre Sam Timmins, the Bulls were in command at three-quarter-time with a 62-52 lead.
The Tuatara needed some inspiration and they found it through a pair of former NZ Breakers and Tall Blacks Corey Webster and Rob Loe, who combined for 11 points to fire the home side into the lead with a 15-4 run.
Loe gave the Tuatara a six-point lead, 76-70, with under three minutes to play, but Timmins, having the game of his life, made back-to-back baskets, including a deep triple to pull the Bulls within a single point with 1:24 on the clock.
However, it was Webster, the player who inflicted so much pain on the Tuatara in last season’s grand final as a member of the Rams, that had the final say. His short-range jumper with 35 seconds to play broke the Bulls resistance.
Loe, who was named to the NBL All-Star Five, and Webster combined for 19 points in the fourth quarter as the Bulls were outscored 26-13.
Webster finished with 25 points (10/17 FG, 4/6 3pt), four rebounds, six assists and three steals, with Loe putting 20 points (7/16 FG, 2/5 3pt, 4/5 FT), five boards, six assists and two steals.
Rueben Te Rangi finished with 17 points (7/11 FG) and five rebounds and Tom Vodanovich produced eight points and seven rebounds.
Timmins was immense with a season-high 30 points (14/17 FG, 2/2 3pt) to accompany eight rebounds, Ethan Rusbatch scored 13 points (5/13 FG, 3/9 3pt) but Luther Muhammad, the NBL’s leading scorer, was held to just 10 points (5/18 FG) while adding 11 rebounds and six assists.
The battle of the 09 began with a brace of baskets apiece from Te Rangi and Timmins, although a Webster inside make concluded a 7-0 Tuatara run to put the Tuatara up 18-12.
Te Rangi extended the lead to 11 points before Muhammad broke a four-minute Bulls scoring drought. The Tuatara led 23-16 at quarter-time.
A couple of trips to the foul-line helped the Bulls reduce the deficit early in the second and when Muhammad scored in transition, Franklin were within a single point.
A pair of Webster threes stretched the advantage back to 10 points, before Timmins almost single-handedly extinguished that before Rusbatch hit a fadeaway jumper for the Bulls to hit the front.
An absorbing first half concluded with a Lee Skinner make and with Timmins leading all scorers with 17 points on 8-of-10 shooting, helping the Bulls to a narrow 41-39 lead.
Timmins continued his almost flawless shooting performance as the Bulls opened the second half with an 11-2 run and the Tuatara needed a timeout.
Loe gave the home fans something to cheer but a Rusbatch triple kept the Bulls a dozen ahead (55-43).
Webster and Te Rangi briefly cut the deficit but Josh Scott acrobatics ensured the Bulls lead was in double figures (62-52) at the three-quarter mark.
The anxiety among the home supporters turned to glee in the final period as the hosts turned up the defensive intensity and found some offensive fluidity they had struggled to discover earlier in the game.
The Tuatara have come up short in the last two grand finals at neutral venues but now travel to the Mainland with the comfort of knowing that the last time the two teams met at Cowles Stadium, they prevailed.
Auckland Tuatara 78 (Corey Webster 25, Rob Loe 20, Reuben Te Rangi 17) Franklin Bulls 75 (Sam Timmins 30, Ethan Rusbatch 13, Luther Muhammad 10). 1Q: 23-16, HT: 39-41, 3Q: 52-62