Morehu Banks Championship
Morehu Easts tried to get rid of Cardinals all game long.
In the closing three minutes, they finally happened.
Behind 16 points from Brook Rapson and 11 points from tournament MVP Jeremy Banks, Wellington’s Morehu Easts defeated Palmerston North club Cardinals 66-55 for the men’s title at the Oreo Open and Wheelchair National Championships in Levin on Sunday.
The Open championship was the first step in Morehu’s quest to win two titles this season, with the Wellington Intercity playoffs in early October.
Banks, who has had stints with the Otago Nuggets and Wellington Saints, was outstanding in the final, dominating the boards at both ends of the floor and shutting down the inside with several blocks in the second half.
“Jeremy Banks, he’s a key for us,” captain Jason Reddish said before Morehu collected their winners medals.
“He dominates the paint, gets the rebounds and the points we need. And he opens things up for the outside shooters as well. It’s just up to us to knock them down.”
Team-mate and fellow tournament team selection Kem Fuimaono had a frustrating game, getting in foul trouble and collecting his fourth with six minutes remaining in the third period, but returned to score two of the biggest baskets down the stretch.
Fuimaono drove the lane and layed-in in traffic to give Morehu a 61-52 lead with 2:08 to play, then benefited from a Banks dish-off for a lay-up and an 11-point lead with 1:29 remaining. Rapson then scored on a break-out lay-up to seal the win with 70 seconds to go.
Cardinals forward Callum Brock, another former NBL player, who finished with a game-high 18 points and was named to the tournament team, hit a three to close it back to 10 points in the final minute but by then the game had gone.
“It was very much a battle,” Reddish said. “We’ve played them about eight times in the last few years so we know them pretty well. It’s pretty much been the same teams for the last three or four years.
“I thought we played a really good team game, with nobody really standing out. All tournament long someone always stood up in each game. That’s the way we play all season. There’s always someone who can step up and get a basket or key rebound.”
A pair of Barney Montgomery threes in the first quarter put Morehu, who defeated Cardinals by five points at the Open zone three premiership in early August, up by seven points early, taking the first period 23-18.
Cardinals, with Selwyn Baxter and Bay Hawks assistant coach Darron Larsen making an impact, slowly came back at Morehu in the second and third, winning both quarters. A Brock three in the final minute of the game gave Cardinals their first lead of the game.
But it was short-lived.
Morehu scored the first points of the fourth and lifted their effort on defence, forcing Cardinals into turnovers and only allowed seven points.
Defending champions Waitakere defeated Christchurch club Atami 69-64 for third, with Waitakere’s Gobindar Samdhu and Atami’s Richie Howell both rewarded for their consistent performances over the three days with selection to the men’s tournament team.
Oreo Open and Wheelchair National Championships
Final
Morehu Easts (Wellington) 66 (Brook Rapson 16, Jeremy Banks 11) Cardinals (Palmerston North) 55 (Callum Brock 18, Selwyn Baxter 11)
3rd-4th
Waitakere 69 (Gobindar Samdhu 15, Adam McCreedy 13, Pat Glover 12, Joe Thompson 11) Atami (Christchurch) 64 (Richie Howell 20, Joel Hart 14)
Final Placings
Morehu Easts (Wellington) (5-0)
Cardinals (Palmerston North) (3-2)
Waitakere (4-1)
Atami (Christchurch) (3-2)
Kiwihoops University (Christchurch) (3-1)
Massey (1-3)
Western Bay of Plenty (2-3)
Cambridge Fighting Irish (1-4)
Central Country Te Awamutu (0-5)
