The Wellington Saints have been crowned the 2011 national basketball champions after outgunning the Hawkes Bay Hawks 106-97 in the grand final in Wellington.
The Saints now have back-to-back championships and coach Pero Cameron racked up his 11th national title, nine as a player and two as a coach.
Lindsay Tait was the best player on the court at TSB Arena and top scored for the champions with 28 points.
Hawke's Bay had stunned Waikato in Friday's semi-final and while plucky, they were feeling the effects of their third game in six days and were unable to match the Saints intensity in front of a vocal home crowd.
They were also overmatched in talent without veteran swingman Paora Winitana, who does not play on Sunday's because of his Mormon faith.
