The Women's Basketball Championship final was a real fizzer, but the Sparks still flew.
The Nelson Sparks dominated the final with a comprehensive 61-40 win against the Waitakere West Auckland Rangers at the Edgar Centre on Saturday afternoon.
Very early on, it was apparent the Sparks were just that much better than their opponents.
They did everything better.
They out-rebounded, out-hustled and out-enthused their tired opposition.
The 21-point margin was, in the end, a little flattering for the Rangers, who failed to lift after knocking out the defending champion, the Otago Goldrush, in the semifinal on Friday night.
The Sparks shared the scoring fairly evenly but impressive guard Shannon Perrett top-scored with 11 points. Star guard Jelena Vucinic was sidelined for the majority of the final with an ankle complaint and Perrett took up the slack with a mighty performance.
She grabbed eight rebounds, made six assists and poached two steals. Her athleticism and hunger stood out.
Bench player Jess Bygate made the most of her opportunities with a double-double of 10 points and 12 rebounds, and Jodi Hikuroa and Lisa Book scored eight points apiece.
Rangers forward Penina Davidson had a game-high 15 points but the Junior Tall Fern did not dominate the way many would have expected.
Most of her points came at the free-throw line and her work on the boards was lacklustre at best. She was out-rebounded by tiger-hearted guard Amanda Buck, who played with her wrist heavily strapped.
Te Oramae Solomon was fabulous in the 57-52 win against the Goldrush but landed just two of her 10 attempts.
The Rangers shot just 20% from the field and could only manage four points in dreadful second quarter.
Trailing 32-15 at the halftime break, the Rangers fell even further behind with the gap blowing out to 40-17. The Rangers scored the next seven points and enjoyed the only momentum it mustered in the match.
The Sparks, though, finished the period strongly and took a 47-26 lead into the final 10 minutes.
The fourth quarter was entirely forgettable. The Rangers were playing their fifth match in three days and the Sparks were on their fourth, and it showed.
While the final was one-sided, the Sparks were worthy winners.
Nelson boasted more depth and talent than any of the other squads and, after the disappointment of being soundly thrashed by the Goldrush in last year's final, the moment was one to savour.
The Goldrush rebounded from its semifinal loss to beat the Harbour Breeze 54-49 in the playoff for third, and Waikato was too strong for Canterbury in the plate final, winning 68-46.
