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Boomers players pose for a team photo after winning the Men’s FIBA Oceania Championship match against New Zealand Tall Blacks Canberra, Australia. (Getty Images)
The Australia national basketball team, nicknamed ‘Boomers’, clinched the 2013 FIBA Oceania Championship beating New Zealand (Tall Blacks) 2 – 0 in the two-leg final series. After winning the first leg of the championship tie in New Zealand, the Boomers beat the Tall Blacks 76 – 63 to win the second leg of the final at the AIS Arena in Canberra in front of a sell-out crowd.
Boomers stars Patty Mills and Joe Ingles made sure their country remained king of Oceania after taking a 2-0 win over New Zealand in the FIBA Oceania Championship for men. Mills had 13 of his 21 points in a match-winning third quarter run as the Boomers went from trailing by six points at half time to leading by 15 at three quarters time.
With both Australia and New Zealand already qualified for the FIBA Basketball World Cup in 2014 in Spain, the Boomers will receive a higher seeding for the tournament draw after being crowned champions of this year’s Oceania Championship.
Patty Mills of the Boomers, who plays for NBA outfit San Antonio Spurs, was named the Most Valuable Player of the Championship. New Zealand guard Corey Webster led his side with 16 points.
Australia took a 20-17 lead at the end of the first quarter, while the Tall Blacks took a 39-33 lead into half time with Mills leading the Boomers with eight points. Australia were on fire in the third quarter taking finishing with a 28 – 7 run. It was all Boomers in the third term with Mills taking over the game from the start of the third forcing a steal and open layup, then making a 3-pointer in transition.
New Zealand took the last quarter 17 – 15 but was not enough to stop the Boomers from becoming the 2013 FIBA Oceania champions.
Both teams are now headed to Spain for the 2014 FIBA basketball World Cup, which will be held in the months of August and September next year.
