Basketball: Mariners poised to atone

Ashton McQueen looms as a key player for Tauranga City Mariners in Saturday's SAS Sports CBL final. Photo / Andrew Warner

The Tauranga City Mariners will have payback in mind when their Hawke's Bay counterparts roll into the Queen Elizabeth Youth Centre on Saturday.

The visitors represent the only blemish on the top qualifier's record this season, meaning there will be a bit more at stake than the inaugural title.

The hosts believe they have isolated the best way to set the record straight - attacking the Hawke's Bay offence at the source before it has a chance to develop.

"We'll certainly need to limit point-guard Aiden Daly's time and space," co-coach Neil Fullerton said.

"We lost our last game against Hawke's Bay - on that trip we only had seven players - and we have to be ready to play. It'll be tough."

The Mariners turned up the intensity of their defensive traps when they needed it most during the semifinal; repeatedly funnelling ball handlers into double teams often featuring backcourt duo Ashton McQueen and Jayden Bezzant.

This tactic will certainly be attempted again, but the Mariners will have to be careful not to overcommit with a slight lack of size on the inside.

Ross Taurima would add considerable punch down low, but he missed the semifinal and was not considered a certainty to play.

Daly scored 14 points in Hawke's Bay's 84-74 semifinal against the Waikato Pistons in Napier, with teammates Matt Wilson (25) and Wilfred Dickson (16) also firing for the home team against a Pistons crew spearheaded by Kirk Rangiawha (17) and first-division big man Dyson King-Hawea (21).

Hawke's Bay coach Theo Tait said his team had captured precious momentum coming into the final.

"It was a great game to be involved in. All the boys wanted this game, as we'd been beaten by Waikato by 31 points last Tuesday night.

"Dean Leutele and Wilfred Dickson did a fantastic job rebounding. I couldn't have asked for more from our guys. We can win the final but it will be close."

The Mariners beat Hawke's Bay 104-59 at the QEYC but in the second meeting on August 16, Hawke's Bay took the honours 81-75 in Napier.

The referees for Saturday's final will be Wayne Start, veteran of 190 NBL games between 1982-2011, Tauranga City Basketball's director of referee training Cliff Horne, Basketball New Zealand's official of the year in 2011, and Californian Ken Phillips.