Boomers clinch gold in tense final against New Zealand

Clutch shooting from Jason Smith in the dying minutes has helped Australia claim the inaugural Commonwealth Games men’s basketball gold medal in a tense final match against New Zealand tonight at the Multi-Purpose Venue.

In a gripping contest worthy of a gold medal clash, the Boomers looked in dire trouble when they trailed by four with three and a half minutes remaining, but Smith reignited the Aussies with two pressure three-pointers to restore the lead.

With the Kiwis in foul trouble, Australia was able to secure the 81-76 victory from the free-throw line and ensure their first tournament win in international basketball.

“That was a great effort defensively and to play smart the last five minutes when you’re behind, that’s what Australia is about. We felt we had a better team than them talent-wise and we weren’t playing great but Australia never quits. And the results show, we walk away with the gold,” Boomers co-captain CJ Bruton said after the match.

Forward Sam MacKinnon added: “This is just awesome. I’ve wanted a Commonwealth Games gold medal for a while now, it’s very special, in front of your home crowd, it’s one of the best things I’ve ever done.”

“New Zealand are a great team and we always knew it was going to be a great battle. Thank God Jason Smith was on our team.”

Luke Kendall led the way for Australia with 17 points including some big shots in the third quarter to get the Boomers back into the game, while MacKinnon (16 points, nine rebounds) and Smith (16 points) were other key contributors. Mark Worthington was also important off the bench with six last quarter points and 14 overall.

For the disconsolate Tall Blacks, captain Pero Cameron was huge with 22 points and six rebounds and Aaron Olsen was handy scoring 13 points and grabbing six boards.

The Boomers went into the match as the clear favourites, however, New Zealand promised a tough fight and they opened festivities with a fearsome pre-game ‘haka’ to reiterate the point.

But just as he did in the semi-final on Wednesday, Sam MacKinnon set the early tone for Australia, using his athleticism at both ends of the court to great effect and helping the Boomers to a 10-2 lead after three minutes.

While the Tall Blacks were struggling to find their shot, the Aussies had no such problems and their bench, led by Luke Kendall and Mark Worthington, were maintaining the pressure when the starters had a well-deserved rest.

Down by 10 (25-15) at quarter-time, New Zealand regrouped in the second period and began to show more composure on offence, as the Boomers lost their radar from the perimeter.

NZ top scorer for the tournament, Aaron Olsen, displayed quickness in getting to the basket, which in turn opened the outside for burly forward Pero Cameron, who finally started to exert his considerable influence with three triples for the term.

The Tall Blacks recouped the deficit and opened up their own four-point buffer nearing half-time, but a late Tony Ronaldson long bomb reduced New Zealand’s advantage to 37-36 at the main break.

Prime Minister John Howard’s courtside arrival minutes into the third quarter did little to stem New Zealand’s momentum as they continued to play with confidence and desire. They contested everything and their physical style seemed to be taking a toll on the Aussies as they slipped further behind.

Just as Australia looked to be wilting, Luke Kendall came off the bench to once again spark the locals, sinking consecutive three-pointers that had the sell-out crowd off their feet. MacKinnon followed up immediately with a long jumper of his own and what was an eight-point deficit suddenly became a 50-48 lead.

The Boomers’ full-court defence had unsettled the Tall Blacks, however, five quick points from the unobtrusive but effective Cameron allowed New Zealand to enter the final quarter ahead by one, 62-61.

Australia continued to live and die by the outside shot, initially falling behind by five, but following a Goorjian time-out, they started driving hard to the rim and soon had the New Zealand team over the limit.

Cameron’s fifth triple of the night re-established New Zealand’s buffer, however, Smith found himself some space and on successive trips down the floor, drained long three-pointers from the corner to put Australia in control for the final time.

As the siren sounded, Bruton flung the ball skywards in delight and on his way off the court, told SportsAustralia just how much this victory meant to him.

“I feel like crying right now. I can’t tell you how much this means to me. There’s not too many captains of Australia basketball and to be honoured in such a big event like this, it’s amazing,” he said.

“I didn’t want to go out with the silver, I would have been devastated. I don’t know if I would have been able to play the game again, that’s how much it meant to every player on the floor.”

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