THE Australian Emus have secured gold at the 2024 FIBA Under-18 Asia Cup after defeating New Zealand by a whopping 63 points in Jordan overnight.

The two sides clashed in the title match for the second time, with the 2018 decider seeing Australia take out its first U18 Asia Cup title. That result was repeated last night, with the Emus capping off a purely dominant campaign.

The Aussies were far and away the best team at the tournament, having blown out every side they faced in Jordan. They faced off against New Zealand, who were the next best side in it, but would still need to deliver their best performance if they were to upset the Emus.

That was too tall of a task, as Australia took control of the match early, and were powerful on both ends of the floor en route to a gold medal win.

Australian Emus (96) def. New Zealand Junior Tall Blacks (33)

The Emus got out to an early lead in the first quarter, but the Junior Tall Blacks showed they were up for the fight in the initial stages, and remained within striking distance as quarter time approached. However, the Aussies finished the opening term on a 14-1 run to lead 24-8 at the first change and completely snatch momentum.

New Zealand was restricted to single-digit scores in the second and third quarters as well, with Australia’s tremendous defence standing up in a final as well. The Junior Tall Blacks could not get any rhythm on the offensive end, and often forced shots that were low percentage. Down the other end, the Aussies were firing on all cylinders, and led by a whopping 64 points heading into the fourth.

New Zealand actually ended up winning the fourth quarter 12-11, but it was clearly game over by that point and Australia had taken the foot off the accelerator. The result capped off an emphatic campaign from the Emus, who were clearly the best team of the lot.

Australia’s defence was reflected in the fact that the Junior Tall Blacks shot just 19 per cent from the field, which is remarkable considering they are the most potent offensive team the Aussies faced all tournament, which is a testament to the Emus’ defence. New Zealand was also forced into 19 turnovers, which the opposition converted into 33 points.

On the other end, the Aussies pulled down 18 of their 57 rebounds on the offensive end, and registered 25 second chance points which was massive in their dominance. At one stage the Emus went on a 32-0 run, showing how one-sided the contest was.

Leading the way for the Aussies was Jacob Furphy, who top-scored for the second time at the tournament with 21 points on 9/16 shooting from the field. He also added seven rebounds and four assists and once again demonstrated the star qualities he possesses.

Emmett Adair was named tournament Most Valuable Player (MVP) and posted 19 points and five rebounds in the gold medal match, capping off a consistent campaign from the talented youngster.

Emus coach Robbie McKinley was thrilled with how his team finished off the tournament.

“I thought we’ve tried to establish our defence all tournament, I think we did that again tonight,” he said. “The boys bought into the scout. New Zealand is one of our rivals, and we knew they were gonna give us everything they have.

“We made some shots early but again, I think it was all behind our defense. We’re proud of the boys. They came in and have done a tremendous job coming together as a group, playing together and playing the right way.”