Basketball New Zealand

Conference Basketball League (CBL)

Three-peat Conference Basketball League champions, the Waikato Titans, will take the top seeding into next week’s CBL Nationals in Wellington, after claiming the Northern Conference regular season title.

With bonus point wins over Counties/Te Wananga and West Ballaz Massey in round 16, Jeff Green’s Titans (19-4), aiming for an unprecedented fourth straight championship, jumped over the Western Bay Suns (18-6) to earn the top spot for the first time this season with a game to spare.

The wins extended the Titans winning streak to 14 with the possibility to increase that to 15 with their final game against AUT University in Auckland on Saturday. The Titans have not lost since June 14.

The Titans two NBL title-winning Waikato Pistons, Ray Cameron and Puke Lenden, led the way in the 103-81 win over Massey that clinched the top spot, following on from Friday night’s big win over Counties.

Cameron top-scored with 32 points, while Lenden had 28 points to go with six rebounds, six assists and four steals as the Titans pulled away with a 26-15 third quarter after a tight opening half.

The second-placed Suns ended their regular season and sent a message to the national top-eight with a 122-44 rout of Eastern Bays, with Whare Bidois scoring a game-high 31 points.

Harbour Heat Reserves, who finished third in the standings, collected the Northern Conference’s best record at 21-3 with a nail-biting 94-92 win over fellow CBL Nationals-bound team, Burger King Northside.

Playing without their leading scorer, Dan Ryan, for the third straight game, the Heat Reserves overcame an eight-point deficit entering the final quarter against Tall Black Corey Webster and the young Northside line-up.

Webster finished with a game-high 39 points but Reece Beardsall’s 31 points and 13 rebounds, and Michael Dawson’s double-double pushed the Heat Reserves to victory.

With the fourth-placed JTB/Breakers opting not to attend the CBL Nationals, Auckland grabbed the last seat with a 79-54 bonus point win over Counties, which shut the door on AUT, who despite two wins in round 16 will have to settle for seventh.

The Wellington Saints claimed the top spot from the Central Conference with back-to-back wins over Turanga Health Rising Suns in round nine, while Wellington earned the second nationals berth with twin wins over the Taranaki Panthers.

Saints had seven players score in double figures in an 84-71 win on Saturday and backed it up with a 90-80 win on Sunday, getting 32 points from guard Matt Te Huna.

Dave Hopoi had 23 points as Wellington defeated the Panthers 89-81 in game one of their double-header, Thomas Westlake going for a game-high 27 points in a 100-61 bonus point win on Sunday.

In the South Island, the North Otago Penguins earned the Southern’s sole nationals bid off Otago A, completing a two-game sweep in the best-of-three series on Saturday.