JOHNNY Narkle was instrumental for the Geraldton Buccaneers as they defeated the Willetton Tigers to the tune of 19 points to make the NBL1 West Grand Final in a fitting result at Willetton Basketball Stadium on Sunday afternoon.

It was a blockbuster clash between two top four sides, although the Buccaneers had to take the long route after losing their first final. They ended up besting the Goldfields Giants in dominant fashion in the semi finals, booking a spot in the prelim against the Tigers. Willetton’s qualifying final win meant it had also booked home court advantage, and would enter the clash as favourites.

It was a close contest in the first half, with the Tigers leading by two points at the main change and Geraldton showing it was not fazed by the Willetton crowd. However, the Buccaneers took control of the game in the second half, outscoring the home side 49-28 to stun Willetton Basketball Stadium and advance to the big dance.

Narkle was everywhere for the victors, having his usual massive impact on the big stage and dragging his side to a Grand Final berth on the back of yet another balanced performance.

Willetton Tigers (80) def. by Geraldton Buccaneers (98)

Johny Narkle – 25 points, 11 rebounds, seven assists, two steals, one block

Fresh off signing in the NBL as a Development Player with the Illawarra Hawks over recent weeks, Narkle showed his star potential with the Buccaneers in their preliminary final, doing a bit of everything to lead his team to the decider.

His first impact came when Narkle produced a nice dish to set up a cutting Liam Hunt, who nailed the reverse layup. The Buccaneers star got involved on the scoring front himself with a nice finish underneath the basket, before recording his second and third assists as his passing became a big weapon in keeping the visitors in the contest.

After nailing another dime to start the second quarter, Narkle had a highlight play of his own with a tough finish at the hoop through contact, converting the and-one to keep Geraldton’s offence ticking over. Another finish inside the paint followed, and Narkle was beginning to have a big say on the match. He tried to take things to the next level and knock down some shots from long-range, but could not find the mark prior to the main break.

Continuing the trend from the first half, Narkle started the third quarter with a nice dish out to Verle Williams on the perimeter, who knocked down the triple to get the Buccaneers off to the perfect start after the main change. Narkle’s ability to get to the hoop and finish was a massive boost for Geraldton’s offence, while his passing continued to be a huge source of scoring, as the visitors stunned the Tigers by leading by 13 points at three-quarter time.

Narkle finally knocked down a three-pointer to start the fourth quarter, helping the visiting side continue their dominance on the scoreboard. From there, he continued to drive inside the paint and finish at the cup, proving too strong for the opposition to contain, while he began to have a hefty impact defensively with a steal and a block to close out the game.

The 24-year-old finished the contest with 25 points, 11 rebounds, seven assists, a pair of steals and block on 9/23 shooting from the field in another dominant display, and will certainly be one of the key players in the Grand Final on the weekend.