By MURRAY McKINNON
Waikato Titans staged a great fourth-quarter comeback to close an emphatic 91-81 semifinal victory over the Canterbury Rams in Hamilton.
The Titans will defend their NBL title against the Nelson Giants on Saturday, after Nelson split the Palmerston North Jets apart in the third quarter at Nelson
in the other semi, posting a convincing 83-64 win.
Canterbury had the run of play in the first half on Saturday, both from the perimeter and inside.
Import John Whorton penetrated the lack of height and defence under the post, and David Langrell and Carlo Varricchio were on target from the three-point line.
The Rams led 41-32 at the break, the Whorton dominance continuing into the third quarter.
Canterbury led by 15 with 10 minutes to go.
Then, as if on cue from Waikato coach Jeff Green, up stepped Tall Black captain Pero Cameron, who, with George Le'afa, rocked the Rams into submission with power play.
Spurred by a charged crowd, Cameron landed 12 points and Le'afa 10 in the final six minutes.
The Titans outscored the Rams 38-15 in the last quarter, Prem Krishna putting the final nail in the Rams' coffin with a three-point bomb in the dying seconds of the game.
Green said his team had concentrated on offence in the first half at the expense of defence.
"At the end of the third quarter I told the guys that this game has got to be won in the trenches, and that the balls had to go through PC's [Pero Cameron's] hands every time," he said.
Cameron top-scored with 24 points, seven rebounds and five assists. Dillon Boucher was on 14, David Hopoi 13 and Le'afa 12.
Whorton had an impressive game with 29 points and 14 rebounds.
Nelson, league champions in 1994 and 1998, will be looking for the four-year cycle to favour them again after running in 15 unanswered points at the end of the third quarter to beat the Jets and claim a home-court advantage for the final.
Like Cameron for Waikato, Tall Black Phill Jones came through when Nelson needed him, top-scoring with 32.
For the Jets, Clifton Bush was contained to a low 18 points.
