Club semifinal time
Last year's finalists are on a collision course to meet again in the 2025 edition of the Senior Metropolitan pennant series final.
St Clair Saints and Otago Bombers will host Otago B52s and Chisholm Links today respectively, finishing 1st and 2nd on the ladder with clear air back to the chasing pack. At St Clair Golf Club
St Clair Saints v Otago B52s
1. Parker Aluesi v Brian Helton
2. Logan Clarke v Lachlan Coutts
3. Jake Bleach v Lewis Harper
4. Connor Howes v George Prendergast
5. Albie Reed v Andrew Hobbs
6. Tony Giles v Isaac Hobbs
This year has been a coming of age for the St Clair Saints, with the introduction of new young faces which resulted in a remarkable season with 10 wins from 10 games — a statistic that is a rare feat in Senior A pennants.
The Otago B52s comfortably finished 4th in the end despite a mixed-bag season with different line ups week to week.
Despite this they have had some positive individual performances, and veterans like Brian Helton and Andrew Hobbs will spearhead their chances against a red-hot Saints side.
However, they will have to be at their absolute best in their matches against Parker Aluesi and Albie Reed respectively, with St Clair looking particularly strong from 1-6, while Connor Howes (Saints) jumps into a provincial rep match with Southland's George Prendergast.
With the target being 3.5 games, it is hard to see the B52s upsetting the form side of the competition.
A good result for them might be scraping a couple of games — we expect to see the Saints comfortably through to the big dance.
Prediction: 5-1 Saints. At Otago Golf Club
Otago Bombers v Chisholm Links
1. Callum Judkins v John McIntee
2. Luke Murdoch v Kai Koni
3. Ryan Rosevear v Mike Weastell
4. Ben Patston v Mackenzie Gibson
5. Duncan Croudis v Luke Worthington
6. Brandon Hodgson v Jason Pegler
This match looks an absolute ripper on paper. The visiting Chisholm Links have been building nicely, and playing at Balmacewen holds no fears, particularly if the weather cuts up rough.
The Bombers have had one of their better round robins — only to be overshadowed by an outstandingly rare season from the Saints, who inflicted both their two losses.
On paper, you could make a case for every match going either way, with maybe a couple of matches equally favouring both sides.
If the match goes down to the wire, the Links have former Balmacewen member John McIntee up against Callum Judkins at No 1.
McIntee has been in fine fettle and will be hard to beat, while Duncan Croudis and Luke Murdoch perhaps look the Bombers' best chances.
The battles at 3, 4 and 6 could be anyone's and are likely to go at least 17 holes, so expect a half or 2.
With that being said, we see this heading to extra holes, and as usual the home side finishing the better.
Prediction: 3-3 (Bombers in play-off)
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Hyrum Harris and the Wellington Saints have dashed the Southland Sharks' dreams of a fairytale NBL crown. Harris poured in 20 points and claimed 14 rebounds in a devastating display of defence that led the Saints to their first title since 2021, and 13th in franchise history, in the capital this afternoon. Jordan Ngatai added 19 points, including two clutch three-pointers down the stretch, and sparkplug Nicholas Marshall had 16 points and 11 rebounds. The Sharks had timed their run perfectly and won nine straight games to reach the final. But their hopes of winning a fourth chip, and first since 2018, were undone by a poor third quarter and a couple of key moments in the fourth. Keylan Boone did everything he could for the Sharks, hitting five three-pointers in his 19 points, while former Nuggets centre Sam Timmins had 17 points and 11 rebounds. The Sharks made the early running and jumped to a 14-7 lead with four quick three-pointers. They also came up with some timely offensive boards to give themselves some second chances. Harris powered the Saints as they fired back to level terms then nabbed a 25-23 lead, though Caleb Aspberry wiped that out with two free throws right at the end of the first quarter. The Saints went on a nice run in the second before their shooting hands went completely cold — they made just two of their first 15 attempts from long range. Josiah Allick, fresh off being named the league's most valuable player, had been a non-event in the first quarter but got more involved in the second, and Timmins nabbed a couple of big rebounds. A lean-back Boone jumper gave the Sharks a 44-38 lead late in the quarter before a crazy sequence in which the Saints turned the ball over, Ngatai blocked Boone, and Ngatai hit a three. Izayah Le'afa capped a miserable personal first half from deep (0-for-7) with a miss on the buzzer, leaving Southland with a 44-41 lead at halftime. The third quarter ebbed and flowed after a clutch three from Australian veteran Shaun Bruce and a sublime cut by Marshall gave the Saints the lead, before Allick again got the Sharks humming. The Saints were strong on transition and starting to turn the heat up on defence, forcing back-to-back Southland turnovers, and they went up by seven when Le'afa was fouled shooting from deep. When Timmins got fired for an offensive foul and Bruce hit from three again, the Saints suddenly had a 10-point lead, though that was shaved to seven at the final break. The Saints kept chipping away, and at 77-64 with less than 7min to play, it looked like curtains for the Sharks. But they would not quit. Boone hit three threes, Timmins played with the sort of fury that powered the Nuggets to the 2022 title, and Tukaha Cooper hit a bomb in the final minutes. They were big moments, but the Saints did just enough to stay in front. NBL final The scores Wellington Saints 88 Hyrum Harris 20, Jordan Ngatai 19, Nicholas Marshall 16 Southland Sharks 83 Keylan Boone 19, Sam Timmins 17, Josiah Allick 15 Quarter scores: 25-25, Sharks 44-41, Saints 67-60.
