Sharks swamped by dominant Saints
It may be the NBL’s greatest rivalry but the Southland Sharks were no match for the Wellington Saints on Anzac Day.
Led by a brilliant shooting display by big man Rob Loe, the Saints maintained their unbeaten start to the season, while handing Southland their first loss, with a commanding 126-102 victory in Wellington.
Loe drained his first five shots, including three from beyond the arc, to finish with 24 points, as well as seven rebounds.
But he had plenty of help, with Shea Ili close behind on 23 and Sunday Dech adding 18 points off the bench.
The last time these teams met was in last year’s final when the Sharks claimed the title with a 98-96 win.
Indeed, there’s been little between the two clubs in recent years, splitting the last six championships between them. And it looked like Thursday night’s would be another close encounter after the visitors held a one-point lead at the end of the first quarter.
But with Loe finding his range from the outset, and Ili matching his Tall Blacks teammate with 15 first-half points, the Saints began to pull away at the back end of the second quarter.
Five-straight points from Jordan Ngatai put them up by 10, although a late run by the Sharks, including a Mitch McCarron three at the buzzer, cut the Saints’ lead to 63-58 at halftime.
Loe finally missed a shot shortly after the break but that didn’t deter the English-born big man. He immediately followed that up with a lay-up and a three, while Dech also got hot as the Saints outscored their rivals by 15 in the quarter.
There was no way back for the Sharks at that point.