Aussie centre Lachlan Olbrich has repeated his regular season heroics, leading Canterbury Rams to a successful defence of their NBL crown with a 102-87 win over Auckland Tuatara at Christchurch.
The success — the sixth in franchise history — follows a campaign that saw them finish top of the competition with a 17-3 record that included a 16-game winning streak, with Olbrich taking Most Valuable Player honours.
In the final, he led all scorers with 29 points, including three three-pointers, and 18 rebounds. American Kenyon Buffen Jr had 21 points, with 4/4 from beyond the arc.
The Rams grabbed the first real advantage, when they built a 12-point lead in the second quarter, but saw that margin whittled away by halftime, when they trailled 51-50. Auckland's margin grew to seven points early in the third stanza, but a 17-2 run swept Canterbury back into a lead they would never relinquish.
"Leadership always starts at the top," reflected coach Judd Flavell, who masterminded his fourth NBL championship from the sidelines. "Great organisations, great cultures... it always starts from there.
"The whole Canterbury basketball scene is in a fantastic place... and we're just reaping the rewards."
Flavell paid tribute to Olbrich's performance, which followed the death of his father early in the season.
"It's a difficult situation to come back to, leaving home and leaving family," he said. "It's tough.
"He's got the world in front of him. As good a player as you see on the floor, he's an even better human being.
"We run a lot of our stuff through him and he's a tough match-up."
The Tuatara enjoyed balance contributions across the board, with forward Tom Vodanovich providing 20 points, guard Corey Webster 19 and centre Rob Loe 17, but shot 40% from the field and just 26% from long distance.
Canterbury Rams 102 (Olbrich 29, Buffen Jr 21, Britt 13, Walker Jr 11, Brown 10) Auckland Tuatara 87 (Vodanovich 20, Webster 19, Loe 17, Gliddon 13, Dalton 10)
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