Rams Survive Double-OT Classic and Advance to Grand Final

In a game that is already being dubbed an all-time classic, the reigning champion Canterbury Rams outlasted the Taranaki Airs 112-111, booking their ticket to a consecutive Sal’s NBL Grand Final appearance. 

Australian centre Lachlan Olbrich had another performance illustrating his case for the league MVP, totalling 22 points and 16 rebounds, with 5 of those being offensive. It was also a stat-stuffing night for the other half of the league’s most imposing 1-2 punch, Rams captain Taylor Britt. Logging a team-high 46 minutes, Britt had a bounce-back showing, including 8 straight points to close out the fourth quarter. He finished the game with 20 points and 8 assists.

While most reputable for his long-range shooting, import guard MJ Walker made his presence known at the rim, getting the crowd’s approval and winning the WMC Fans’ Choice MVP of the night. He was aggressive attacking downhill, earning 9 of his team-high 23 points from the free throw stripe.

The Rams’ 40% clip on three-pointers was spearheaded by the local consortium. The hot-shooting of Walter Brown and Max Darling proved to be momentous down the stretch, with both nailing four of their seven attempts from deep. The pairing had a productive night across the board, with Brown notching 17 points and 8 rebounds, and Darling recording 20 points alongside 10 rebounds. 

Despite it being a successful day at the office for many Canterbury players, so was the case for Taranaki who opted for a more perimeter-oriented unit. The Rams were countered by the scoring efforts of Airs stars Elijah Minnie, Flynn Cameron, and Carlin Davison, who finished with 26, 25, and 22 points respectively. 

Even with an exciting, back-and-forth 39 minutes of basketball already, the most thrilling moment (up to that point) came in the final seconds of the fourth quarter. Just in the nick of time, Airs guard Flynn Cameron hit a smothered pull-up three-pointer to tie the game at 91-apiece and force overtime, stunning a rambunctious Canterbury crowd. 

The story of overtime was told behind the heroics of Olbrich and Darling, who led the way in post-regulation scoring. Olbrich reinstated hope into the hometown crowd early, opening overtime with a thunderous jam off of a slick feed from Brown. 

As was the case in regulation, neither team could maintain separation, surmounting in yet another anxiety-riddled, late-clock possession for both sides. With 2.0 seconds left in the period, Carlin Davison caught the ball off an inbound and sank a fadeaway two-pointer to summon a second overtime. 

The final lot of extra time was equally as tight of a contest, coming down to the wire like the previous two periods had. Following a steal from Airs import Elijah Minnie, which led to a pair of made free throws for the American forward, Taranaki asserted a narrow 110-111 lead with mere seconds left. 

With the ball on the sideline and just 2.2 seconds to work with, Ram Head Coach Judd Flavell was carrying the weight of Cowles Stadium on his shoulders. In a display of second-to-none execution, the patented Britt-Olbrich connection produced a game-winning shot from under the basket for the Aussie star and a final score tally of 112-111 in favour of Canterbury.

The 2024 Sal’s NBL Grand Final is set to take place on Sunday, July 28th at Cowles Stadium. The Rams will face the winner of the Auckland Tuatara and Franklin Bulls, the former of which would be a rematch of last season’s Grand Final.