Basketball New Zealand

Tall Blacks head coach Nenad Vucinic

Tall Blacks head coach Nenad Vucinic inched closer to a national championship with back-to-back wins in the Estonian KML Finals series last week.

Vucinic’s BC Kalev/Cramo bounced back from a four-point road loss to number one-ranked TU/Rock in game one of the best-of-seven championship series, with an 84-74 road win in game two on Wednesday and a 75-70 result in game three at home on Friday.

Kalev, who finished three wins behind TU/Rock during the regular season, now lead the series 2-1, with game four on their home floor in Tallinn on Tuesday (NZ time).

Kalev, who won back-to-back KML titles in 2005-06, will be attempting to avoid three straight Finals series defeats to TU/Rock, who also ousted them from the Baltic Basketball League playoffs in March.

Tall Blacks centre Craig Bradshaw was eliminated from the LEB Gold playoffs in Spain, after his Grupo Begar Leon side were swept in their best-of-three quarterfinal series against Club Melilla Baloncesto on Saturday.

Bradshaw went scoreless (0/3 FG) with six rebounds in 14 minutes in the 76-75 home loss in game two, following on from five points (2/7 FG, 1/4 FT), four rebounds, two blocks and a steal in 22 minutes in the 79-56 road loss in game one.

The results were better for former Tall Ferns guard Lisa Pardon with the Bulleen Boomers in round nine of the Big V competition in Australia.

Pardon had five points (2/9 FG, 1/3 3pt), four boards, three assists and a steal in 27 minutes in a 64-51 road win over Geelong on Saturday. She backed it up with 10 points (4/11 FG, 1/5 3pt, 1/2 FT), two assists, a rebound and steal in 28 minutes in a 63-56 road win over Waverley on Sunday, lifting the Boomers to third at 8-3.

Tall Ferns point guard Angela Marino returned to action for the Sturt Sabres in the Central ABL in the weekend and made an immediate impact.

The diminutive guard scored 22 points (7/12 FG, 3/5 3pt, 5/6 FT) to go with three assists, two rebounds and a steal in 28 minutes in a 92-54 road rout of the Eastern Mavericks in round eight on Saturday. The win lifted the Sabres to a level record at 4-4, sitting fifth.

Gemma Kerr and Tania Kerr, younger sisters of Tall Ferns captain Aneka Kerr, helped their Kilsyth Lady Cobras team to a pair of wins in round 11 of the South East Australia Basketball League (SEABL).

Gemma provided eight points (3/10 FG, 1/4 3pt, 1/2 FT), six rebounds, three steals, an assist and block in 29 minutes, while Tania went point-less with two assists in three minutes in an 84-76 home win over Ballarat on Saturday. Gemma had seven points (3/4 FG, 1/2 3pt, 0/1 FT), a rebound and assist in nine minutes and Tania a rebound in eight minutes in a 74-64 road win against Sandringham on Sunday, boosting the Lady Cobras to fourth at 6-5.

Also in the SEABL, Tall Ferns Toni Edmondson and Lisa Wallbutton could not prevent their Albury-Wodonga Lady Bandits falling 74-58 to the Knox Raiders on Saturday.

Edmondson provided 19 points (9/20 FG, 0/2 3pt, 1/2 FT), five boards and a steal in 38 minutes while Wallbutton had 11 points (5/13 FG, 1/4 3pt), 11 rebounds and three steals in 32 minutes for Albury, coached by Tall Ferns video tech Ken Hamilton, who now sit sixth at 4-5.

Former NBL Rookie of the Year Shaun Tilby managed seven points (2/3 FG, 1/1 3pt, 2/2 FT), five boards, two assists, a steal and block in 19 minutes in the Gold Coast Goannas 118-99 road win over the Toowoomba Mountaineers in round five of the Queensland Basketball League (QBL) on Saturday.

A week after posting the club’s first win since August, 2007, Zane Meehl, Zeke Meehl and the Maroochydore Clippers dropped both games in a tough road trip to Rockhampton and Mackay.

Zeke had 12 points (4/10 FG, 2/4 3pt, 2/5 FT) and six rebounds in 19 minutes and older brother Zane five points (2/4 FG, 1/2 3pt, 0/1 FT), two assists and a rebound in 26 minutes in a 112-84 loss to the Rockhampton Rockets on Saturday.

Zane amassed 19 points (5/15 FG, 2/5 3pt, 7/7 FT), six assists, five rebounds and a steal in 45 minutes and Zeke added eight points (3/6 FG, 1/3 3pt, 1/2 FT), three rebounds and an assist in 17 minutes in a 125-95 rout against the Mackay Meteors, coached by former BBNZ high performance coach Leonard King.

Tall Ferns forward Natalie Purcell returned to the court after a week off, scoring seven points (1/11 FG, 1/6 3pt, 4/8 FT) to go with 10 rebounds, two assists, two steals and two blocks in 39 minutes in a 57-40 home loss to Ipswich Force on Saturday.

Former Canterbury junior Shannon Proffit put up solid rebounding numbers as the Maroochydore Lady Clippers split their road double-header on the Central Queensland coast.

She had two points (0/5 FG, 0/1 3pt, 2/4 FT) and 11 rebounds, two assists, a steal and block in 33 minutes in a 72-52 road loss to the Rockhampton Cyclones on Saturday, following with four points (1/4 FG, 2/2 FT), seven boards, an assist and steal in 36 minutes in a 66-54 road win over the Meteorettes of Mackay.