3 days ago
Sharks carrying momentum into NBL final
The Southland Sharks will chase a fourth National Basketball League title thanks to a stunning resurgence.
Coach Jonathan Yim could not be reached for comment to help shed some light on his side's form reversal.
But here is a quick recap.
Midway through the campaign, the Sharks were not really on the radar. They were winning the odd game and staying in touch.
But they were also walloped by some of the stronger teams, including the Wellington Saints who they will play in Sunday's final in the capital.
Now everyone is taking them seriously. The Sharks produced a huge team effort to overcome the Canterbury Rams in Christchurch last week.
All five starters got into double figures to set up a 101-82 semifinal win against the two-time defending champions.
Competition MVP Josiah Allick starred with 21 points and 15 rebounds.
Caleb Asberry was influential with a haul of 19 points and nine assists.
Fellow import Keylan Boone netted 18 points and grabbed 10 boards.
If they had been flying under the radar, they are now flashing in neon.
It is worth mentioning that their last two games against the Rams resulted in enormous losses (120-84 and 128-79).
But they have improved dramatically since then. They have won their last nine games, which includes a 91-75 victory against the Auckland Tuatara in a playoff match in Invercargill last week to set up the semifinal with the Rams.
All season, the Rams and the Saints seemed destined to meet in the final.
The Saints dispatched the Tauranga Whai 93-68 in the other semifinal and they will start the final as favourites.
They posted two comfortable wins against the Sharks during the round-robin. But the Sharks are in imperious form.
They will lean on Allick around the hoop. The tireless power forward is the competition's leading rebounder with 11.4 boards per game.
His battle with Hyrum Harris (10.3) will be fascinating.
Sharks sharpshooter Boone (21.1 points) is the most accurate three-point exponent in the league.
Former Otago Nuggets captain Sam Timmins adds another level of protection around the rim for the Sharks, and Caleb Asberry is a quality distributor.
The Saints will rely on Nicholas Marshall to generate some offence. The talented guard has multiple ways to hurt the defence and will combine with Izayah Mauriohooho-Le'afa.
Harris and Nicholas Muszynski will take care of the paint and Jordan Ngatai is a versatile forward who is vastly experienced and a big-game player.
