NBL1 North Recap | Men's Grand Final Game 2

The Gold Coast Rollers were the standout team in the NBL1 North Men's competition throughout the 2022 season and they have capped off by winning the association's first senior title since 1988 by closing out the Grand Final Series on Saturday night.

Jason Cadee as captain and Anthony Petrie as coach were former NBL teammates and came together at the Gold Coast Rollers with the goal to bring a championship to the association, and they have now achieved that goal in 2022.

Gold Coast finished the regular season on top spot in the NBL1 North but then had quite the scare in the first week of the finals against the Logan Thunder. However, they managed to pull one out of the fire there and went on to dominate the rest of the NBL1 North finals.

The Rollers qualified for the Grand Final with a big win over the Northside Wizards and then proved too strong in the first two games of the championship series against USC Rip City.

Rip City did a terrific job to reach their first Grand Final in the competition, but nothing went their way in the series starting with the unavailability of league MVP Kouat Noi for Friday night's Game 1 which Gold Coast won 101-86.

Noi might have returned on Saturday night but then early on inspirational captain Isaih Tueta injured his knee and Gold Coast just couldn’t be denied.

With way too much class, experience and firepower, the Rollers romped to the 118-71 Game 2 victory to wrap up the championship triumph on their home floor.

Cadee was named Grand Final MVP on the back of delivering 35 points and 13 points on Saturday night in Game 2 after producing 24 points and eight assists in Friday night's Game 1.

NBL1 NORTH – 2022 MEN'S SEASON
GRAND FINAL GAME 2 – FRIDAY NIGHT

GOLD COAST ROLLERS 118 defeated USC RIP CITY 71

NBL1 North MVP Kouat Noi promised to make the world of difference in Grand Final Game 2 on Saturday night, but ultimately USC Rip City suffered another cruel blow and the Gold Coast Rollers proved too experienced, too lethal and ultimately too good.

It has been a Gold Coast team built for success under coaching of legendary NBL hard man and leader Anthony Petrie with current and former Brisbane Bullets Jason Cadee, Tanner Krebs, DJ Mitchell and Lamar Patterson forming the cornerstone of a star-studded line-up.

The Rollers went on to finish the regular season on top of the ladder but they very nearly never got out of the first round with a Logan Thunder team minus Jeremy Kendle putting them in quite a hole in the quarter finals.

However, Gold Coast managed to squeeze out of that jam and then hammered the Northside Wizards to book in their Grand Final spot.

USC Rip City had already made their piece of history by reaching the Grand Final in 2022 as well. Led by MVP Kouat Noi and NBL experienced point guard Isaih Tueta, Rip City came together late in the season when it mattered most and scored finals wins against the Darwin Salties and Cairns Marlins.

However, Noi was then made unavailable for Game 1 of the Grand Final Series by the Sydney Kings and Gold Coast proved too good on Friday night at Carrara Stadium to go up one-nil in the series following the 101-86 victory.

Things would change, though, with Noi back in the Rip City line-up on Saturday night for Game 2 back in the same building as USC tried force a decider on Sunday with Gold Coast looking to wrap up their first championship since 1988.

Noi was not going to be able to do it all on his own for Rip City, though, and that's why when Isaih Tueta went down with a knee injury early in the game it was a potentially cruel blow to their hopes.

That's exactly how it turned out and Gold Coast worked their way on top to score 11 straight points and lead by 13 during the opening quarter, and to still be on top 25-18 by quarter-time.

Rip City were still close enough to strike, though, but that didn't last for long with Gold Coast in no mood to keep the championship in jeopardy.

The Rollers blew their lead out to as much as 26 points during the second quarter and ended up piling on 37 points to 18 to head into the half-time well and truly in control leading 62-36.

Rip City did their best to try and make a game of it in the third quarter, but couldn’t make any real inroads and then it was party time for Gold Coast in the fourth quarter as they celebrated cruising to the championship in front of a packed home crowd.

The Rollers saw their lead balloon to 49 points as they had some fun out there to end up wrapping up the 118-71 victory to claim the championship in two games.

Gold Coast showed their class throughout the series and again on Saturday night, shot the ball at 54.4 per cent from the field while hitting 15/33 at 45.5 per cent from three-point line.

Rip City just couldn’t quite get going and ended up shooting at 31.0 per cent overall and hit just 5/27 at 18.5 per cent from the land of plenty.

Jason Cadee delivered on his pledge to bring a championship back to Gold Coast and the X-game NBL veteran was brilliant to end up with the Grand Final MVP award on the back of 35 points and 12 assists with five three-pointers in Saturday night's Game 2.

Cadee's Brisbane Bullets teammate Tanner Krebs was brilliant as well with 25 points and 12 rebounds on 9/12 shooting from the floor and 4/5 from long-range.

Their former Bullets teammate Lamar Patterson also had 15 points and five rebounds while their new NBL teammate DJ Mitchell produced 10 points, 13 rebounds, five assists and two blocked shots.

Jaze Morris added 10 points in six minutes for Gold Coast, Jaryd Eustice eight points, three rebounds and two steals, Tidjane Diop four points and three boards, and Devon Sullivan three points, seven rebounds and two assists.

The loss of Isaih Tueta proved a devastating blow for Rip City with Kouat Noi ending up with 18 points, 12 rebounds and four assists despite just shooting 5/17.

Eric McAlister added 17 points and six rebounds while hitting 3/6 from downtown with Josh Tueta contributing 10 points and two assists, Wani Swaka Lo Buluk 10 points, five rebounds, four assists and two steals, and Verle Williams eight points, four boards, four assists and two steals.