Canty’s dramatic basketball win

Press, 7 August 1985, Page 9

Canty’s dramatic basketball win

By

FRANK DUGGAN

Two Converse Canterbury forwards, Eddie McLeod and lan Webb, had a point to prove against Biola Invaders, of California, in the American team’s first match of its New Zealand tour at Cowles Stadium last evening. The American team, which won five of its nine games in Australia before coming to New Zealand early yesterday morning, was expected to easily defeat Canterbury, but McLeod and Webb had other ideas. After trailing 30-41 at half-time, Canterbury staged one of its finest rallies of the season to win, 75-74, and the foundations for the Rams’ success lay with McLeod and Webb. McLeod top scored with 21 points and also snared 13 rebounds, while Webb was the next highest scorer with 15 points, most of them gained in an impressive first half. McLeod, in somewhat of a

limbo because the Canterbury Association had yet decide on renewing the American’s contract for next season, and Webb, only yesterday discarded from the New Zealand team, added to a Canterbury momentum that increased with every minute of the second half.’ Canterbury, which held a narrow lead in the early stages of the first half, again went ahead in the eighth minute of the second spell, 54-53, but with six minutes to go the score was tied at 64-all. ■ Similar to the grand final of the league championship in Wellington last Saturday evening, both sides took a share of the lead until the last two minutes when Canterbury went three points clear. The American team trailed by a point, 74-75, when the tall 2.03 m centre, Tony Harvey, went to the free-throw line for two shots after a foul aiming for either a win or a tie for

extra time. That is when 1400 Canterbury spectators took a hand in the matter. The crowd’s increasing partisanship and loud hand-clapping unsettled Harvey, who was attempting to complete a 100 per cent free throw record for Biola — they had previously been successful with 12 other shots. The first shot bobbled outside the righthandside of the hoop and, amid an even deafening roar, his second shot hit the left-hand side of the hoop. Canterbury succeeded but not without some problems. The new coach, Gary Pettis, rightly, tried all his bench in the first half and there was a certain amount of uncertainty in combination. The problems were ironed out and with McLeod, Clyde Huntley, John Rademakers, Webb and, to a lesser extent, Andy Bennett and Dave Usmar, melding as a team, Biola’s chances were reduced.

Although some criticism was levelled at the crowd’s parochialism in the final seconds, the coach of the American team, Mr Howard Lyon, said later that nowadays that was part of the game. He has toured New Zealand twice previously in 1978 and 1981 and his biggest impression last evening was an improvement in the New Zealand standard rating from 30 to 50 per cent. Result: Converse Canterbury 75 (E. McLeod 21, I. Webb 15, J. Rademakers 14, C. Huntley 11, K. Duff, B. Knopps and D. Usmar 4 each, A. Bennett 2). Biola Invaders 74 (J. Peron 19, D. Swanner 18, B. Comer and T. Harvey both 10, J. Lopez 8, D. Elliott 5, S. Babcock 4). Half-time 41-30 (Biola). The referees were Messrs J. Grocott and N. Warren, of Christchurch.