The Al Ramsay Shield is in Australia’s hands after the Boomers men’s basketball team swept the New Zealand Tall Blacks in the 2011 FIBA Oceania Championship, winning Game Three 92-68 at the Sydney Entertainment Centre in Sydney on Sunday afternoon.
The Boomers had five double-digit scorers, led by centre Aleks Maric, who finished with 27 points, shooting 11-13 from the field, while David Barlow was next best with 17 points.
For the Tall Blacks, star shooting guard Kirk Penney was again dominant with 27 points, while Mika Vukona finished with 10 points.
Game Three played out much like the first two games in the series, with the Tall Blacks pushing the Aussies at every change early, at times taking the lead and looking dangerous.
As was the case in Game Two, the Boomers’ persistent defensive pressure finally got the better of the Tall Blacks, this time a little earlier, as the Boomers went on a solid scoring run in the third period, dropping 31 points for the term, led by Aleks Maric, Joe Ingles and Aron Baynes.
Taking a 15 point lead into the final period, the Boomers held New Zealand to just seven points in the final term, to run away with the big 24 point win.
“I thought defensively we were average in the first half. I give them credit they are well coached, they run the heck out of their structure, their structure is very unusual and it’s hard to guard and I give them credit,” said head coach Brett Brown.
“I thought we brought more energy, communication and a few adjustments in the second half, and to hold them to 27 points and seven points in the final quarter, in what’s been a long process getting here, to end with that kind of defensive quarter was fantastic,” he said.
Australian Boomers 92 (Maric 27, Barlow 17) def New Zealand Tall Blacks 68 (Penney 27, Vukona 10)
