Waitakere West Premiers put on a show yesterday afternoon when they beat a talented Canterbury team 107-48 in the national under-19 tournament men's semifinal in Dunedin.
Canterbury had looked like a team worthy of challenging for the title after going unbeaten on its way to the semis.
However, Waitakere made light work of the southern side, piling on the points to win by 59.
It played with the same intensity throughout the game, firing from the tipoff to jump out to an early 16-1 lead.
Big man Tohiraukura Milner-Smith was unstoppable under the basket, firing shots inside the key on his way to 23 points.
Captain Jozef Knottenbelt tried to keep Canterbury in the contest with some respectable shooting, scoring a team-high 14 points.
However, it was just not Canterbury's night and emotions became charged towards the final whistle, with Canterbury committing some hard fouls.
Waitakere will face Harbour in the final today after Harbour had to fight for a 68-56 victory over Nelson in the later game.
Trailing by 10 with five minutes remaining, the star-studded Harbour team was heading for a loss but finished with a 24-3 run to steal victory.
Waitakere West advanced to the final after beating New Plymouth 56-36 in the women's first semifinal.
After a close first half, which saw Waitakere lead 27-24, New Plymouth struggled to find any momentum in the second half, managing only 12 points.
Waitakere player Penina Davidson was a force for her side, scoring a game-high 12 points with some confident and impressive shooting.
For New Plymouth, captain Monique Hornby top-scored with 10 points.
Waitakere will meet Waikato in the final today after it beat Harbour 63-34 in the later semifinal.
