2009 Australian NBL playoff finals

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AUS - Barlow answers back in game two



MELBOURNE (NBL) - After being outplayed by his Australian Boomers teammate Mark Worthington in game one of the NBL Grand Final series, Dave Barlow had a point to prove in game two at the Cage in Melbourne.



And he made his statement in emphatic fashion, scoring 12 of the Melbourne Tigers first 14 points in the final quarter, as the defending champions extended a 65-62 three quarter time lead to what would prove a match winning 79-65 advantage. Barlow's Tigers defeated the South Dragons 88-83 in front of a sell out crowd, to level the series at one game apiece.



Barlow finished with 26 points (4/9 3pfg) and 5 rebounds, scoring from all parts of the floor and showing once again why he has been the starting small forward for Australia at the past two major championships.



But while the FIBA World Championship veteran's outburst was decisive, the Dragons refused to lie down, fighting there way back to within two points with three minutes remaining, thanks to their relentless full court defence and the fearless play of import Tremmell Darden.



Darden failed to register a field goal in game one, but repeatedly attacked the ring and Melbourne's 7'1 centre Chris Anstey in this contest. Darden finished with 15 points, 7 rebounds and 4 steals, and while he received best support from Worthington (13 points, 5 rebounds) and former Atlanta Hawk Donta Smith (18 points, 6 rebounds, 6 turnovers), that duo failed to have the same impact Dragons fans have become accustomed to.



This was largely due to the Tigers team defence, and the excellent efforts of Barlow and Canadian national team captain Dave Thomas (8 points, 6 rebounds, 2 steals). Nigerian international Ebi Ere was also a great contributor for Melbourne, registering 16 points and 8 rebounds, and making countless effort plays, including an extraordinary open court block on the athletic Smith.



Australian Olympic and FIBA World Championship veteran Anstey also stood tall for the Tigers, recording an impressive 21 points, 9 rebounds and 2 blocks to take advantage of the Dragons going small for large periods of the game.



While this game was low scoring like game one, it was played at a much faster pace, and with far more aggression at the offensive end. The Tigers will be looking to continue this trend to capitilise on the scoring power of Anstey, Barlow and Ere, who all have the potential to blow a game open in moments.



But the Dragons do not fear this style of game with their athletic lineup, and coach Brian Goorjian was upbeat despite the narrow game two loss. "They went up 16 and we got the ball back with three minutes to go... and could have tied it up."



"We made them play the full 48 minutes and they had to play a lot of their major pieces," Goorjian added. "We didn't make it easy for them, we did a lot of good things, but there are some things we can get better at."



Tigers coach Al Westover was relieved after squaring the series, but also impressed with his team. "We deserved to win tonight. The pressure was on us, but it was all about getting the win," he said. "The last couple of minutes we had good composure, played good defence and we pulled off an important win."



Game three of the best of five series is at Hisense Arena in Melbourne on Sunday night, and this series shows all the signs of emulating last year's classic between the Tigers and the Sydney Kings, and all basketball fans downunder are hoping it does.

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