Cantabs Roll To Title
You only have to glance over the tournament team to understand Canterbury’s wheelchair domination at the Oreo Open and Wheelchair National Championships.
The Cantabs had four players – Travis Moffat, John Wieser, Reo Lewis and Australian import and tournament MVP Andrew Tarrant – named to the tournament team as they went unbeaten in four games to reclaim the wheelchair shield.
Canterbury dominated the tournament from the first game – a 103-22 win over locals Kapiti-Horowhenua on Friday – until the last – a 102-39 dismantling of second-placed Waikato on Sunday afternoon.
With Australians Tarrant and veteran Eino Okkonen added as imports, Canterbury were always hot favourites and matched the hype, winning by an average 65 points in the three-team double-round robin format.
Canterbury’s closest game came in a 75-39 win over defending champions Waikato on Saturday.
Lewis, who had two 30-plus point games, averaged 24.8 points per game, just edged out for highest points scorer by the only non-Canterbury tournament team selection, Waikato’s Sheldon Larsen, who ended the three days averaging 25.8.
Tarrant, whose impact at the defensive end was as important as his work on offence, averaged 19.0 points and Wieser went for 21.3 per contest.
Waikato, who also got strong play from Danny McBride and Allistair Johnston, finished runners-up after 49-30 and 43-24 wins over Kapiti-Horowhenua, who got strong performances from player-coach Marcus Thompson.
Larsen scored 36 points, Wieser 17 and Lewis 15 as the New Zealand men’s wheelchair team defeated an Invitation team 78-57 in a one-off game on Friday night. Tarrant had 28 points for the Invites.
Oreo Open and Wheelchair National Championships
Final Placings
Canterbury (4-0)
Waikato (2-2)
Kapiti-Horowhenua (0-4)
