BASKETBALL
FIBA ASIA CUP
By BLAKE METCALF-HOLT
TRARALGON’S Jack White has now added a gold medal with the Australian national team to his collection.
Arriving in Saudi Arabia, the Boomers swept the group stage of the FIBA Asia Cup before dismantling their next two oppositions.
Australia made light work of the Philippines in the Quarter Final, victors 84 to 60.
The back-to-back gold medallists started strongly, quickly getting out to 20-point lead by halftime.
The Philippines actually outscored the Boomers as played continued into the third quarter, but it didn’t mean much, as the margin remained the same.
By the time the game concluded, Australia were out to their largest lead.
White added eight points, eight rebounds, and three blocks in 18 minutes of action.
The Traralgon star had multiple defensive plays that eventually led to higher opportunities in the final two games.
The Boomers would then lay waste to Iran in the Semi Final, coming out easy winners, 92-48.
After a competitive first quarter saw Australia lead by just seven points, the favoured Boomers side then outscored Iran 65-28 the rest of the way.
White added his best scoring output with 11 points, three rebounds, and a steal in 19 minutes.
Entering the gold medal final, Australia had the opportunity to become the first team to win three consecutive gold medals at the tournament, and did that by defeating China in a one-point thriller.
The opening seven minutes went by with a stalemate, China then pounced with a 12-3 run after the Boomers held a minor lead earlier.
It would be the first time in the knockout stages that Australia trailed at the end of the first quarter of any game.
Ahead by eight points at the first break, China continued to ramp up the intensity, pushing the Boomers’ deficit out to double digits as play resumed.
The margin would get to its biggest midway through the second term with China leading by 15 points, before Australia steered the ship ever so slightly to chip away.
After bursting the bubble and getting it back within single digits, the Boomers finished the opening half on an 11-3 run to trail by just four points at halftime.
Each side knew they still had plenty more to give, as the early stages of the third quarter both went blow for blow.
Australia finally got back in front for the first time since halfway through the first quarter, but that didn’t mean the game was over.
While Will Hickey and Xavier Cooks were leading the charge for the Boomers, China had many players step up, seeing them still hold a three-point edge by the last turn.
The final quarter turned into a much more chippy affair as both teams refused to give an inch and tasted gold like nothing else.
Cooks opened with eight of Australia’s first 10 points for the term, showing signs of being the difference.
China stuck to their guns with an up-tempo game style, leading by two points with five minutes spare.
Australian wing Jaylin Galloway nailed back-to-back three-pointers to swing the margin back into the Boomers’ favour, but China countered with some long range shots of their own.
Defence was ultimately what done it, as Australia capitalised on a number of stops in the dying stages of the game to come out on top.
That was personified by White being inserted onto the court for Australia’s last defensive stand and blocking a three-point attempt that would have pushed China into the lead with seconds remaining in the contest.
While Traralgon’s own scored his lowest total for the tournament with two points, White still saw much more trust from the coaching staff in a game which was a lot more in doubt than any other.
Playing near 22 minutes off the bench, he did all the small things, with three rebounds, three assists, a steal and a block.
The victory gave White his first gold medal for Australia in senior competition, after a number of junior medals in the past.
