Basketball New Zealand

Saints Erron Maxey and Pistons Tony Ronaldson (Photosport)

Sam Worthington, The Dominion Post
To the victor go some pretty decent spoils in Hamilton tonight.

For starters, the regular season title is on the line, while the Wellington Saints and Waikato Pistons will also fight for the Murray McMahon Trophy, named in honour of the championship-winning Pistons coach who passed away in 2008.

Both the Saints and the Pistons have 13-4 records and will host home semifinals next week. But victory tonight would earn the winner crucial home advantage in the best of three finals – should they make it that far.

The two teams enter the showdown in contrasting form. Waikato, who led for most of the season, snapped a three-game losing streak against the Southland Sharks last round, but were forced into overtime to do it.

The Saints have meanwhile surged up the standings, winning 10 of their last 11 games, including a 103-84 triumph over Waikato in round 13 and a convincing 102-65 win against the Manawatu Jets last round.

Wellington will again be without injured import Eric Devendorf but replacement Marcel Jones made encouraging strides against the Jets, scoring a season-high of 19 points.

Athletic Tall Blacks forwards Thomas Abercrombie (Pistons) and Leon Henry (Saints) are set for a fascinating tussle. The spring-heeled Abercrombie had 26 points and five blocks against the Sharks, while Henry has scored double figures in his last five games, shooting 58 per cent from three-point land.

Waikato must also do a better defensive job on Saints guards Lindsay Tait and Troy McLean after both torched them in round 13 (Tait: 19 points, 15 assists; McLean: 27 points).

It is Saints coach Pero Cameron’s first return trip to Waikato, with whom he won four championships. Meanwhile, the Saints have football fever and will wear white in their home semifinal on Friday week.

“We’re a pretty tight-knit sporting community here in Wellington and we feel it is an appropriate acknowledgement of some pretty amazing sporting history,” Saints director Nick Mills said.

Thursday, June 17

At Hamilton Boys High, Hamilton

Waikato Pistons v Exodus Saints, 7pm

Referees – Tim Brown, Dallas Pickering, Cherryl Crabbe