Basketball: Bombers to meet Saints in final

Steve Robinson

The Bombers beat the Falcons 73-65 in their men's A grade semifinal on Saturday to set up a rematch of last year's final against the St Kilda Saints this weekend.

In a game that was not decided until the final few minutes, five Bombers scored at least 12 points in a balanced offensive performance.

Guard Jan Verberne led the way with 19 points, while Jordan Small (13), Olly Smith (13), Steve Robinson (12) and Jack Stirling (12) also contributed.

In addition to scoring a game high 19 points, Verberne played out of his skin defensively. He harassed the Falcons into a bunch of turnovers, blocked a few shots and pulled down plenty of rebounds.

Clinging to a 62-61 lead with six minutes left, the Bombers initiated their full court defence.

Verberne immediately came away with a steal, before driving hard to the hoop and drawing a foul on his successful layup attempt.

After converting the three point play from the charity stripe, he finished off a fast break after another Falcons turnover to give his team a 67-62 lead with five minutes remaining.

Robinson knocked down a jumper and Small made a layup to extend the lead to nine points, forcing the Falcons to take a timeout.

However, all they could muster after the break was a Tyler Lapham three pointer as their once promising season ended with a fourth consecutive loss.

While the Falcons were not helped by injuries, including the loss of guard Jacob Cromb to an ankle injury at training last Thursday, their sputtering offence ultimately cost them on Saturday.

Chris Hood (18 points) and Matt Bazsika (13) did their best, but did not get enough help against the surging boys in green.

The Bombers, who barely sneaked into the playoffs with a 7-8 record, perhaps played their best game of the season.

Their ball movement was slick, Stirling gave them enough of an inside presence, and they defended brilliantly to hold a narrow lead for all but a couple of minutes of the match.

After saving their best basketball for the business end of the season, another meeting with the streaking Saints looms for the championship on Saturday.

The Saints beat the Bombers 86-57 in last year's decider.