Basketball: Boomers just too good

Coach Tab Baldwin and the Tall Blacks mull over their 91-80 loss in Dunedin yesterday. Picture / Mark Mitchell

The Australians were too good in the Oceania world championships qualifying series, which they cleaned up 3-0 despite the Tall Blacks playing with heart.

The home team were on the back foot from the start once Sean Marks withdrew, and Kirk Penney's back strain, suffered before game one, clearly bothered him throughout.

They closed the gap by two points at each meeting - 82-69 at Trusts Stadium on Wednesday, 82-71 at the TelstraClear Arena on Saturday and 91-80 in Dunedin yesterday.

But the Boomers put on points when they needed to, rallied and composed themselves in defence when they needed to, exploited their height advantage and played smart to deny the Tall Blacks points on the inside.

The Tall Blacks were forced to shoot long-range and their shooting percentages were just not up to it.

Phill Jones was smothered. More productivity was needed from the front line and - other than captain Pero Cameron, who improved steadily through the series - the team were simply out-classed.

The bench will improve from the brutal experience. Both Craig Bradshaw and Lindsay Tait got better and played more game-time as the series wore on. But Tait did not drive inside to score as is his practice in the domestic league, others suffered from lack of accuracy in execution and the Tall Blacks did not take their chances when they came.

For the Commonwealth Games next year, they may be without European-based players, who will be engaged in finals series.

The Boomers are unlikely to have number one draft pick Andrew Bogut and new Denver Nuggets signing Luke Schensher. But all top-line players for both sides are likely to be on deck for the world champs in Japan later next year.

New Zealand is again likely to struggle because of the greater basketballing numbers in Australia.

* The Tall Ferns take a young squad into their Oceania qualifying series against Australia this week.

Athens Olympics captain Leanne Walker leads them and netball convert Donna Loffhagen is in the squad, as is rising star Angela Marino.

The train-on squad that was in camp all weekend includes Pero Cameron's sister Jodi and a host of her North Harbour team-mates after their successful local run.

The most notable departure is 10-year veteran Gina Farmer.

New Tall Ferns coach Mike McHugh has a 6-1 record at the William Jones Cup in Taiwan and is confident the team will be capable.

Tall Ferns squad: Walker (Waikato, captain), Rebecca Cotton, Marino, Loffhagen (Canberra), Julie Ofsoski (Melbourne), Lisa Pardon (Tasmania), Kate McMeeken-Ruscoe (Cairns), Tania Kerr, Stacey Mabey (Canterbury), Lisa Wallbutton, Micaela Cocks, Cameron, Jessica McCormack, Noni Wharemate, Charmain Purcell (North Harbour), Chanel Pompallier (Waitakere).

Australian Opals: Jae Cross, Deanne Butler, Katrina Hibbert (Bulleen Melbourne), Alicia Poto (Sydney Uni), Carly Wilson, Emma Randall, Jacinta Hamilton, Emily McInerny (Dandenong), Erin Phillips (Adelaide), Renae Camino (AIS), Jenny Whittle (Canberra), Hollie Grima (Bulleen Melbourne).

Oceania Series: Wednesday, Palmerston North; Saturday, Napier; Sunday, Te Awamutu.