Brilliant last-minute shot defeats Canty

Press, 9 May 1983, Page 23

Brilliant last-minute shot defeats Canty

By

ROD DEW

A superb three-point long shot just 30 seconds from full-time by the brilliant American guard, Kenny McFadden, enabled Exchequer Saints (Wellington) to snatch a sensational 99-98 victory over 3ZM Canterbury in their opening Countrywide national basketball league match at Cowles Stadium on Saturday evening. The Saints, who had trailed for most of the match, regained possession and were able to play out time without giving Canterbury the chance to equalise. That provided a spectacular and exciting finish to one of the most entertaining basketball matches held in Christchurch. The standard was high, and the near-capacity crowd enjoyed every minute. It was ironic that it had to be a three-point shot, taken from outside a semicircle 6.5 metres from the basket, which finally toppled Canterbury. This new value for a long field goal, being used on an experimental basis, had earlier appeared to favour Canterbury. It picked up an extra nine points through the long-range accuracy of its two guards, John Rademakers and Clyde Huntley. “Great for entertainment, except for that last one,” was the reaction of the Canterbury coach, Mr Murray Mackay, to the new goal value. However, he was very disappointed that his team lost the initiative towards the finish after playing so well for most of the game. “We had a substantial lead but we were not mentally disciplined enough to hold it. At one stage it was like the shoot-out at the O.K. Corral. Everybody was shooting from anywhere. And we let them have too many cheap baskets,” he said.

“We are on the way,” the

delighted coach of the Saints, Mr Dave Hornblow, said afterwards. “It was pride that did it,” he said. He attributed victory largely to the ability to “hang in there when the opposition was playing well.”

The win was especially sweet for Saints, who were debuting in the first division. Last season they won the second division league and achieved their new place through winning the four-team promotion-relega-tion tournament.

Nevertheless, they had a great deal to thank for their win on Saturday to two men—McFadden, the captain, and. the tall Angelo Hill. Between them, the two, both former members of the Washington State University side, scored an amazing 69 points. Their great mutual understanding and their ability to use almost the whole court with their passes often Eunched holes in the Canterury defence. McFadden would fire the pass like a rocket from the back court and Hill would retrieve it close to the basket with a mighty leap, and slam the ball through the hoop.

McFadden was at times brilliant, forcing the defence back in disarray with the speed of his attack and showing equal ability to shoot from outside and close to the basket.

Mike Stokes, Kevin Currie, both former Canterbury players, and Pete Ruscoe all played well, but theirs was a supporting role to the two very talented Americans. Kirk Darners devoted himself to defence, and did this very well. As a team, Canterbury was clearly the better unit and it should have won. At one stage, just lOmin from the end, it had a lead of 11 points which it should never have lost.

However, there were mitigating circumstances. Two

New Zealand representatives, Gilbert Gordon and Andy Bennett, were both reduced to the bench on five fouls within minutes of one another in the middle of the scond half. Both had been playing very well, rebounding strongly and attacking the basket well.

The remaining players were also showing signs of tiring, and the number of loose passes and the amount of scrappy play increased as time progressed.

Canterbury’s dynamic little American guard, Huntley, and the New Zealand representative, John Rademakers, were outstanding. The understanding between them suggested that they might have been playing together for the last 10 years, instead of ust the last few weeks.

Huntley constantly harried the opposition, making use of his obvious speed, and his ability to transform defence into attack often left the Saints bewildered, he inteercepted passes and stole the ball out of the hands of rivals, and his timing was faultless. Throughout the game he had the thankless task of marking McFadden and he did this well. McFadden would have scored even more than 40 points had a player of lesser tenacity been marking him. Huntley scored 23 points, a splendid contribution, and he also fed his tall forwards sensibly. Rademakers demonstrated some of the finest long shooting ever seen in Cowles Stadium, scoring six times from outside the 6.5 metre line. On the fast break he combined beautifully with Huntley. His tally of 32 points was also thoroughly deserved. Only towards the finish did Huntley and Rademakers show signs of flagging, but they had maintained a standard of play rarely seen at this level, practically

without a break. The tall men were better off. They were able to be substituted regularly until the ranks were thinned by the disqualification of Gordon and Bennett. John Hill as usual played the defensive boards supremely well, and David Usmar was also a great strength in the rebounding department. From the start, Canterbury wasted no time in establishing its authority. It was ahead 27-23 after lOmin and was playing so well that it took every effort of the Saints to prevent their defence collapsing. With time running out in the first half, Canterbury was ahead 53-37, and seemed well in control. A couple of team changes and a more relaxed attitude suddenly switched the emphasis and Saints drew within seven points (53-46) at halftime.

Canterbury again took control in the second half, edging out to an 11-point lead (79-68) after lOmin. Then things gradually started to go wrong. Errors increased and the Saints, sensing a late victory, lifted their game. McFadden put Saints in front for the first time 3min from the end with two free throws.

Canterbury made one last rally. Scores were level at 94-all, and 96-all before Lance Dixon scored what should have been the winning goal for Canterbury. Then McFadden banged in his three-point long shot from outside. A brief period of scrappy play returned possession to the Saints and they were content to play out time. Scores were:— SAINTS 99: K. McFadden 40,. A. Hill 29, M. Stokes, 13, P. Ruscoe 9, K. Currie 6, G. Bridgeman 2. CANTERBURY 98: J. Rademakers 32, C. Huntley 23, J. Hill 12, A. Bennett'lo, D. Usmar 7, G. Gordon 6, B. Knops 6, L. Dixon 2.