New Caledonia were crowned Melanesian basketball Cup champions at the weekend after defeating Papua New Guinea in the final in Suva.
New Caledonia flew out of the blocks finishing the first quarter with a 25-point led that they built on to win 87-57.
“I am really proud of the team, we worked really hard, and I believe we showed that on the court today,” star player Jo Delaunay-Belleville said.
“In 2017 we lost twice to Papua New Guinea, so it was nice to finally win in the final today.”
Fiji defeated Solomon Islands, 67-53 to win bronze.
Papua New Guinea and New Caledonia will now join current Micronesian Cup winners Guam as qualifiers for the Pacific Games 2023 in Solomon Islands.
The top two teams from the FIBA Polynesian Cup 2022 will also qualify.
The tournament All-Star Five line-up has been named with each country represented in the line-up.
Source: Radio New Zealand