Curtis Wooten was talking up his team's defence and versatility in the countdown to today's final of the Super 8 basketball tournament at Taradale's Pettigrew-Green Arena.
The former Hawks NBL team head coach took his Hastings Boys' High School team into the final against Rotorua Boys with four wins from as many games. Yesterday, HBHS beat Hawke's Bay rivals Napier Boys' High School 67-45 in their final pool game, before accounting for New Plymouth Boys' High School 75-58 in their semifinal.
"No matter what the code, defence is the best form of offence and that's definitely the case with us.
"I think our versatility will give us the edge also," Wooten said.
A good example of the HBHS team's defensive class is the fact they restricted IMS Payroll Hawks big guard-small forward, Wilfred Dickson, to 13 points in the win against Napier. Dickson scored 40 points in Napier's 92-68 semifinal loss to Rotorua and his total for four games is 95.