The Taylor Hawks made the 2021 National Basketball League Grand Final with a 98-91 win over the Southland Sharks in Porirua on Thursday night.
They have a wealth of offensive talent up and down the roster, but it was Devondrick Walker's classy 33-point performance that will see them play the Wellington Saints at 8pm on Friday.
The 29-year-old Texan carried Hawke's Bay home with 18 of their 26 points in the final 11 minutes of action.
When asked after the game what got into him that sparked the offensive explosion, Walker offered just three words:
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Advertise with NZME."We were losing."
The Hawks have looked to push the ball all season and the first quarter at Te Rauparaha Arena was no different.
Hyrum Harris bounced back from a couple of early turnovers with relentless attacks on the basket for 11 points in the opening period.
Hawke's Bay took a seven-point lead into the second quarter, but saw that evaporate as those transition opportunities dried up.
Sharks captain Dom Kelman-Poto was able to assert himself in the paint, bullying the Hawks bigs to the tune of 18 points and nine rebounds in the first half.
With their halfcourt offense stalling out, Hawke's Bay began to force tough passes and turn the ball over for a 49-53 halftime deficit.
Southland got up by as many as five points in a tense third quarter before a couple of big consecutive Devondrick Walker baskets tied the game up heading into the fourth.
The star import (33 points on 54% shooting) picked up where he left off as well, sinking two three pointers in a row to open the final period.
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Advertise with NZME.More shotmaking from Walker had the Hawks up by double figures with five minutes remaining, a lead they would not relinquish.
Earlier on Thursday, the Wellington Saints overcame a tricky first half to defeat the Auckland Huskies 99-73 in the first semifinal.
The Hawks and Saints have been circling each other since summer as heavy title favourites and ended up with one win apiece from their regular season matchups.
With both teams skipping a COVID-impacted competition in 2020, the game is a repeat of the 2019 final that saw Wellington win their 11th national title.
Current Saints coach Zico Coronel and captain Dion Prewster, who was named League MVP this week, were both part of the losing Hawke's Bay side that day.
