16 Jul 2013

Southland win first NBL title

7:50 am on 16 July 2013

The Southland Sharks won their first National Basketball League title, beating the Nelson Giants 92-81 in the final in Napier.

The Sharks looked set for a lopsided win when they led 59-35 at half-time, but the Giants fought back in the final quarter to make the Sharks nervous.

Kevin Braswell topscored for the Sharks with 24 points and fellow American Brian Conklin added 21 points and nine rebounds.