2015 Grand Finals Day Programme

Saturday, 19 September 2015

At the conclusion of each round of games we’ll be recognising the winning teams, and the finals MVP on Court 1. This may mean a slight delay for the next two teams scheduled to tip off while CBA General Manager Paul Duggan makes the presentations.

8:00am sees the start of a very busy day of basketball, with our youngest club representatives tipping off in the Junior All-Stars competition. This is often the first introduction into stop-clock basketball for these young players, where the teams play two 14 minute halves. This year sees the Bishopdale YMCA represented in both the girls and boys Y5/6 grades. Taking them on, on Court 1 is the Gators Girls team, while the Pioneer Y5/6 Boys play the YMCA Boys on Court 2. Both of these games are expected to be very close, with the YMCA boys winning handily against a below strength Pioneer team in August, while only 4 points separated the Gators and YMCA Girls when they first met.

 

9:15am has our other two All-Star competitions, with both games taking place between the same two clubs: North Canterbury and the Gators. The Y7/8 Boys face off on Court 1, and the Y7/8 Girls compete for their championship on Court 2. There was literally nothing between the boys teams in their first meeting, with a 58-58 draw overtime was elected not to be played, while the NC Girls had an easier go of it against Gators to open the competition 57-34.

 

10:45am sees two of our grades dominated predominantly by school teams, with the Women’s Under 20 grade being contested on Court 1 by the first seed Burnside against second seed Rangi Ruru. Burnside boasts three players who were selected in the 2015 First Team: #9 Tsubasa Nisbet; #4 Nicky Pio; and #5 Paige Willman, while Rangi Ruru will be led by fellow First Teamer #14 Charlotte Eglinton, as she tries to help her younger teammates pull off the upset against Burnside. Both teams have beaten the other team in this competition, by considerable margins, but with all teams available today, this one should be a great watch.

On Court 2 we have Burnside and Rangiora High schools playing for the U17 Boys’ championship, after they both won their semi final matches last weekend. #2 Isaiah Morris (Burnside) will be a player to watch, while Rangiora has a lot of experience, having seven of their players also represent the school in the U20 Men’s grade. Rangiora also boasts a First Teamer of their own (#11 Jordan Mann), with this game being the third meeting between these two teams – Burnside winning 78-76 in June, and Rangiora gaining a 82-56 win in July.

 

12:30pm sees the Lincoln University Bulls try and complete back to back perfect seasons on Court 1 in the U23 Men’s competition, with one team remaining in their path, the Wolverines. Both teams are very familiar with each other, with the respective coaches (James Lissaman and Jamie Graham) both running similar offensive philosophies, due to strong ties to Terry Brunel (former Wolverines Head Coach, and current LU Head Coach). The LU team is not lacking for talent, with three players named in the First Team: #8 James Cawthorn; #7 Aled Jones; and #9 James Levings. Wolverines will unfortunately be without their first teamer (Taylor Britt – in the USA), so will be relying on their size advantage (#10 Kieran Ball, #11 George Love and #50 Carl Isitt) to combat the pace and space of the LU attack.

On Court 2, our Boys’ U15 grade sees the third seeded Gators try and topple the number one seeded team from Cashmere High School. Team work has been the name of the game for Gators, with #8 Ah-Li Fenika and #5 Colin Robins being silky smooth with the ball. Cashmere has two first teamers in #15 Louis Oskam and #6 Okirano Tilaia who will do their best to ensure the help their favoured team get to its goal of winning the title. This is yet another game where the season series is 1-1, with the Gators winning 71-65 on May, and Cashmere with a 85-59 victory in August.

 

2:15pm has another team from Burnside featured, with the U20 Men’s grade having them face off against UC on Court 1. Players to watch here are CBA First Team members #30 Toby Gillooly (Burnside) and #15 Jack Ansell (UC). The 2015 series has only seen these teams face off once, with Burnside gaining the 86-60 victory in June. Burnside has been very tough in this grade, making the final four straight years, and going home with the trophy in 2012 and 2014.

 

On Court 2, the U16 Girls championship is up for grabs, with the 2014 finalists from Checkers back and looking to achieve what they just fell short of in 2014. The team from Rangi Ruru is standing in their way, and will be a formidable opponent, with First Teamers #42 Bailey Chamberlain and #9 Grace Eglinton being tough matchups in particular. Terry Brunel will be hoping his First Teamer, #7 Violet Eaton, has a big game in her, as his team looks to win the most important game of their season. Rangi Ruru is 3-0 against Checkers this year, but the gap has closed every game, with the most recent one being a 70-65 thriller in August.

 

4:00pm has the Men’s Division One beaten finalists from 2014, 2 Cheap Cars (formerly the Pilipanas Askals) facing a gritty Atami team which used a huge 33-13 fourth quarter to knock out the 2014 champions (Placemakers) in last week’s semi final. Former PBA pro-player, and 2015 First Teamer, #12 Ariel Mepana will feature for the 2 Cheap team, along with help from fellow PBA pro, the sharp shooting #15 Gerald Yebanes. Atami’s #9 Troy Russell will be hoping his team can turn their collective experience into an advantage against their younger opponents, as each team has won once against the other previously this season. This game is likely to have huge noise coming from the crowd, which will ramp the intensity up nicely.

 

The Women’s Division One has Finals’ mainstay Royals making another appearance (2011-2014, champions in 2013) as they take on a very athletic UC team. The unbeaten Royals are led by three First Teamers (#14 Jo Casey, #7 Fuata’i Lai Kong, #13 Pina Lissaman), while UC is led by #7 Letitia Mullaly. UC has not had a loss to any other team in the competition this year, except for Royals (74-78, 46-79, and 41-66) so will be hoping they can turn the game into more of a trackmeet, as opposed to the Royals’ more half court oriented attack.

 

5:45pm has the first of our feature games, with the Women’s premier matchup being a repeat of the Hoben Trophy Final, with First Seed North Canterbury taking on Fourth Seed UC. In a battle of not only Wildcats, but also First Teamers, #9 Hayley Gray will be counted on for the bulk of the NC scoring load, while UC’s #7 Pip Connell will look to cause issues being able to score from beyond the arc, or in the post depending on the opponent tasked with defending her. Wildcats Head Cocah #44 Lori McDaniel will help ensure her NC team stays focussed on the task at hand, while #25 Darcy Rose from UC will use her size to keep McDaniel off the boards. NC has beaten UC each time they’re met in a regular season game this year, but dropped the first chance at some silverware in the Patron’s trophy final, where UC prevailed 81-68.

 

7:30pm has the final game of the 2015 season, also a matchup mirroring the 2015 Hoben Trophy Final, with First Seed Wolverines facing Fifth Seed Atami. This grade more than any other has exemplified a great level of parity, with any team capable of beating any other on the day – with Atami knocking off the 2^nd placed Checkers in the quarter finals, and Wolverines needing their second life after 6^th placed LU dealt them a loss  that same day. Both teams have plenty of experience in the front court, with the Howell brothers (#7 Ritchie and #11 Scott) from Atami matching up against #15 Lionel Hopgood and #13 Dean Le Warne. Atami has #31 Rusty Thomson with First Team Honours, and youngster #9 Josh Petermann running the point against the dangerous #9 Mike Kinley, and Burnside High Schooler #6 Shou Nisbet.