📰 Tall Blacks score rare victory over Boomers in series finale

The Tall Blacks ended their basketball series against Australia on a high on Sunday, beating the Boomers 106-97 in Hamilton.

New Zealand raced to an 11-2 lead. Tohi Smith-Milner opened the scoring with a pair of free throws and ever-consistent captain Reuben Te Rangi got to the bucket for an easy lay-up before knocking down his first triple of the night.

The Tall Blacks defence was equally impressive, dominating rebounds. A highlight of the first quarter was a thunderous slam dunk by Carlin Davison, helping propel the hosts to a 28-16 lead.

The second quarter was marked by physicality from both teams. Taylor Britt led the charge in rebounds and assists, as the Tall Blacks maintained momentum to lead 57-44 at halftime.

In the third quarter, the Tall Blacks extended their advantage with a series of impressive three-pointers from Kaia Isaac. Another show-stopping Davison slam dunk pushed the score to 88-62.

The Boomers started the fourth quarter with a scoring spree that cut the lead to single figures for the first time since the first quarter, as they looked to snatch an improbable win.

But the Tall Blacks held firm, securing a deserved win against their transtasman rivals.

Elijah Pepper was the standout performer for the Boomers, leading all scorers with 28 points.

Britt contributed a near triple-double performance for the Tall Blacks with 23 points, nine rebounds and eight assists.

The Tall Ferns were unable to avoid a series sweep against the Australian Opals, but after copping a 41-point hammering on the Sunshine Coast on Friday, they cut the losing margin to 15 in Hamilton on Sunday.

Playing in front of a home crowd for the first time in five years, the Tall Ferns were put under early pressure, and despite some good work from Esra McGoldrick, trailed 20-11 at the first break.

With skipper McGoldrick leading the way and forward McKenna Dale nailing a pair of triples, the Tall Ferns cut Australia’s lead to 40-36 at halftime.

A Tegan Graham three-pointer was quickly followed by a shot from series standout Sharne Robati which gave the Tall Ferns the lead for the first time. But the world No 2 Opals responded to regain their four-point lead heading into the final quarter.

The physicality of both teams increased but a few turnovers saw the Opals extend their lead to 10 with less than five minutes remaining and back-to-back three-pointers contributed to a final 86-71 scoreline.

This article was first published on nzherald.co.nz and is republished here with permission.