POSTED BY: Eurobasket News
Sean Mullan
Final
Australia - New Caledonia 62:44
Australia clinched the Oceania Championship title. They held off surprising New Caledonia in the title decider today. Joshua Wilcher knocked down 14 points and grabbed 5 boards to lead balanced offensive effort for the Aussies. New Caledonia made it a big achievement claiming the second overall spot at the tournament.
Australia marked their ambitions in the opening frame. They outscored New Caledonia 19:7 to enter the second frame with a comfortable cushion. However New Caledonia were not intimidated as they gradually turned aggressive and physical defensively. It paid off as they held Australia to only 6 points in the second quarter. The margin was trimmed to just 3 points at the interval. Australia began the third frame more accurate and played it safe. They committed just two turnovers in the third stanza regaining full control. Australia built a 13-point buffer into the fourth period. New Caledonia found no answer and had to surrender at the end.
Jan Warbout delivered 11 points for Australia. Reece Maxwell had 9 points in the winning case. Rodrigue Tetainanuarii (203-F-82) posted 8 points and 5 boards for New Caledonia. Laurent Berniere (-G) and Yann Mathelon (185-G-85) finished with 7 points each in defeat.
Australia: Joshua Wilcher 14, Jan Warbout 11, Reece Maxwell 9
New Caledonia: Rodrigue Tetainanuarii 8, Laurent Berniere 7, Yann Mathelon 7
Bronze medals game
Guam - New Zealand 70:55
Guam National Team celebrated the bronze medals at the Oceania Championship. They defeated New Zealand in the consolation final. Andrew Borja came up with 16 points to lift Guam to the big victory. Joseph Blas (183-G/F) added 15 points for the winners. New Zealand outrebounded Guam 41:40 but could not overcome 26 turnovers.
The teams exchanged the baskets throughout the first half. Guam enjoyed a narrow 17:15 lead at the first intermission and maintained it in the second frame. New Zealand scored just 10 points in the third quarter allowing Guam to take a 5-point lead into the final frame. Guam easily overcame 9 turnovers in the final stanza to account for 28 points. It was just enough to roll to a historic success.
William Stinnett (186-G-86) notched 13 points and 6 boards for Guam. Luke Aston responded with 14 points for New Zealand. Hayden Miller knocked down 11 points in the losing effort. Guam sank 39% of field goals limiting their opponents to 32% accuracy.
Guam: Andrew Borja 16, Joseph Blas 15, William Stinnett 13
New Zealand: Luke Aston 14, Hayden Miller 11
Semifinals
New Caledonia - Guam 78:47
New Caledonia will look for the fifth consecutive victory at the Oceania tournament when they take on Australia in the championship game later tonight. New Caledonia posted the fourth win in a row edging Guam in the semifinal earlier today. Benoit Weber (195-F) paced New Caledonia to yet another success with 13 points. Emmanuel Souria-Ouamba added 11 points for the winners. The first quarter was a low-scoring affair with New Caledonians taking a 14:9 lead. The favorites raised the tempo in the second period and cleared off to a 22-point distance at halftime. Guam slowed their opponents down in the third quarter and got advantage of 10 turnovers from New Caledonia to come closer. However New Caledonia quickly regained control in the fourth term and cruised to the victory.
Raymond Weber and Rodrigue Tetainanuarii had 10 points apiece in the win. Joseph Blas responded with 15 points for Guam. Anthony Borja had 8 points in defeat. New Caledonia outrebounded Guam 43:35 and forced those into 31 turnovers. Guam sank just 25% of field goals, while New Caledonia accounted for 41% from the field.
Guam will face New Zealand for the bronze medals.
New Caledonia: Benoit Weber 13, Emmanuel Souria-Ouamba 11
Guam: Joseph Blas 15, Anthony Borja 8
Australia - New Zealand 78:49
Australian team entered the Final at the Oceania Championship in Saipan. They toppled New Zealand in the semifinal earlier today. The Aussies will now clash with New Caledonia for the tournaments Gold.
Australia and New Zealand kept it close in the opening frame. The Aussies had a slight lead on the boards and eked out a 16:13 lead after ten minutes. The tempo increased in the second period as the Kiwis tried to change the complexion of the game. They got physical, outrebounded their opponents but Australia still managed to earn a 36:31 lead at the interval. The Emerging Tall Blacks shot only 3/15 in the third period allowing their opponents clear off to a 12-point distance. The fourth term turned into a rather one-way traffic as Australia got confident and fired their way past New Zealand.
Jeremy Hill came up with 22 points and 9 boards for Australia. Kurtis Phillips produced 17 points and 6 boards in the victory. New Zealand responded with 16 points from Jordan Mills (-G). Zacharia Makavilitogia had 8 points in the loss.
New Zealand will play against Guam in the consolation final later today.
Australia: Jeremy Hill 22, Kurtis Phillips 17, Sean Mullan (-F-90) 9
New Zealand: Jordan Mills 16, Zacharia Makavilitogia 8
