In a week when our Tall Blacks players in Europe had rather quiet performances it was Tall Ferns forward Jillian Harmon that grabbed the headlines.
Harmon had plenty to celebrate as her Italian club Le Murra Lucca progressed to a second Championship Final, in their sixth year in the top flight SerieA Italian League, where they will take on arch rivals Familia Schio.
Amazingly the second game of Lucca’s semi-final series followed the same pattern as the first by going to overtime.
As in game one the outcome was the same with Le Murra Lucca prevailing 68-64 against Venezia after it was locked 58 points apiece at the end of regular time.
There were no more than two points separating the teams at the end of each quarter. Harmon nailed 17 points, including a game clinching free throw with 16 seconds left in normal time, to give Lucca a match winning four points buffer.
All the other overseas based Tall Ferns were back in the country at the weekend trying out for the national team ahead of the tour to China and Europe beginning on Wednesday.
Europe –Men
On Sunday Zaragoza visited Fuenlabrada in Spanish League action. Fuenlabrada sitting 7th on the Liga Endesa ladder and with more to play for than the mid table placed Zaragoza underlined their superiority with an emphatic 105-85 win.
Zaragoza led 21-17 at the end of the first quarter but were overpowered in the remainder of the game. Isaac Fotu recorded 4 rebounds a steal and a block but managed just 3 points (1/4FG) for the visitors.
In Belgium Limburg United went down 82-75 against Telenet Oostende in their final regular season game of the Scooore League. Just 4 points, 2 rebounds and an assist for Rob Loe in that game.
The Tall Blacks centre and his Limburg colleagues face a hectic week as they take on Port of Antwerp Giants in a best of three quarter final series. The players face three games in five days beginning on Tuesday.
Pinar Karsiyaka are having a busy road trip in the final few days of the Turkish Spor Toto Basketbol Ligi regular season.
On Thursday they travelled to Buyukcekmece and came away with an exciting 100-99 win, Tom Abercrombie contributing 11 points, 5 rebound and 2 assists.
They then faced recently crowned Eurocup winners Fenerbache and came off second best losing 74-67, with Abercrombie managing just three points.
With Fenerbache looking likely runners-up and Karsiyaka currently seventh on the ladder the two teams are on course for a best of three quarter-final clash beginning later this week.
