Basketball New Zealand

Tall Ferns forward Jillian Harmon (left) and the Stanford Cardinal are headed back the NCAA Women's Final Four

To reach a second consecutive NCAA championship game, Tall Ferns forward Jillian Harmon and her Stanford team-mates will have to complete an upset of historic proportions.

Harmon and the Cardinal meet the undefeated University of Connecticut in the Women’s NCAA Tournament Final Four in St Louis, Missouri, at 1pm on Monday (NZ time), with a place in the 2009 title game against either Louisville or Oklahoma at stake.

Both teams were here 12 months ago, Stanford upsetting U-Conn 82-73 in the national semifinals, with Harmon contributing nine points and four rebounds.

But that was the Huskies last loss.

U-Conn, where Tall Ferns centre Jess McCormack transferred to and red-shirted this season before having Achilles surgery back home in Auckland in February, steam-rolled to a 37-0 record this year, with an average winning margin over 30 points per game.

Harmon, playing in what could be her final collegiate game, scored two points (1/5 FG, 0/2 3pt), with six rebounds, an assist and steal in 24 minutes as Stanford advanced to their second straight Final Four with a 74-53 win over Iowa State in the Berkely regional final on Tuesday.

It was the Cardinal’s 20th straight win, booking the eighth Final Four berth in school history.

Harmon, who was named alongside team-mates Jayne Appel and Jeanette Pohlen in the All-Regional team, dropped 16 points (7/12 FG, 1/1 3pt, 1/1 FT), six assists, four steals and a rebound in 34 minutes as Stanford advanced with an 84-66 Sweet 16 win over Ohio State on Sunday.

Canterbury’s Donna Lavea narrowly missed her shot at a national title last week as her Lambuth Lady Eagles fell 73-63 to cross-town rivals Union in the NAIA-D1 championship game on Wednesday.

Lavea had two points (1/5 FG), five rebounds, a steal and block in 14 minutes in the final played in Jackson, Tennessee, the home town for both teams.

Also ruing an agonising exit on Thursday was Tall Blacks coach Nenad Vucinic, who saw his Estonian club, BC Kalev/Cramo, eliminated from the Baltic Basketball League playoffs with a 71-68 overtime loss at home to Estonian rivals TU/Rock.

Kalev forced a deciding game three in the best-of-three quarterfinal series with an 84-68 win in game two on Sunday, but after missing chances to win in regulation, watched as Rock’s centre Tenoka Beard hit a three as overtime expired for the win.

Vucinic and Kalev will likely meet TU/Rock in the Estonian KML playoffs next month and get an immediate chance for revenge, and to end Rock’s undefeated domestic run, at home on Wednesday.

In Switzerland, former Tall Black Brendon Polyblank faces elimination from the LNA playoffs after his Lausanne Basket club fell behind top-seeded SAV Vacallo in their best-of-five quarterfinal series on Sunday.

Polyblank had 20 points (7/12 FG, 4/5 3pt, 2/3 FT), two assists, two steals and a rebound in 40 minutes in the 81-66 game two loss at home. He produced 13 points (6/13 FG, 1/3 3pt), four boards, three assists and a steal in 27 minutes in the 91-77 game one loss on Thursday. Game three is scheduled for Sunday.

Harbour Heat forward BJ Anthony registered 12 points (4/9 FG, 4/7 FT), nine boards, three blocks and two steals in 20 minutes, helping Herzoge Wolfenbuttel’s 91-78 home win over TG Renesas Landshut in round 26 of the German Bundesliga D2-Pro B on Sunday. Wolfenbuttel sit just a game off the league-lead at 20-6.

Tall Blacks centre Craig Bradshaw returned from a two-week absence for his grandmother’s funeral in Fiji, to record 15 points (6/8 FG, 1/1 3pt, 2/4 FT) and three rebounds in 24 minutes in Grupo Begar Leon’s 76-68 home loss to Club Basquet Vic on Saturday in round 26 of the LEB Gold in Spain. Leon is now ninth at 13-13.

In Romania, Emerging Tall Black Leon Henry had three points (1/2 FG, 1/2 FT) and two rebounds in six minutes of action for Tab Baldwin’s U Mobitelco Cluj-Napoca in a 90-86 home win over CS Targu-Jiu on Saturday in round 29 of Divizia A, leaving the Red Caps third at 19-8.

In Australia, Tall Ferns Lisa Wallbutton and Toni Edmondson were major contributors as Albury-Wodonga collected their first win in the South East Australia Basketball League (SEABL) on Saturday.

Wallbutton had 23 points (9/16 FG, 1/2 3pt, 4/5 FT), 12 boards, an assist and steal in 40 minutes and Edmondson 15 points (5/13 FG, 2/5 3pt, 3/6 FT), 11 rebounds, five assists and a block in 38 minutes as the Lady Bandits defeated the Nunawading Spectres 83-66 at home.

Wallbutton followed with 24 points (9/13 FG, 1/2 3pt, 5/7 FT), 17 rebounds and an assist in 39 minutes and Edmondson 21 points (7/19 FG, 2/8 3pt, 5/6 FT), six boards, three assists, a steal and block in 40 minutes as Albury fell 64-61 on the road to the Frankston Lady Blues on Sunday.

Kerr sisters, Gemma and Tania, put up solid numbers but could not prevent the Kilsyth Lady Cobras falling 80-56 on the road to the Knox Raiders in the third round of the SEABL on Saturday.

Gemma Kerr recorded 11 points (4/12 FG, 3/7 3pt), six rebounds and four assists in 29 minutes, while younger sister Tania Kerr had eight points (3/4 FG, 2/2 3pt) and three rebounds in 14 minutes in the loss.

Junior Tall Blacks hopeful Te Puao Silver managed six points (3/3 FG) and two assists in nine minutes in the (3-0) Melbourne Tigers 102-87 road win over Eltham on Saturday in round two of the Big V Youth League.

He followed with six points (2/6 FG, 2/3 FT), four assists, two steals and two rebounds in 18 minutes in a 101-80 home win over Sherbrooke on Sunday.