BASKETBALL
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The Wollongong Roller Hawks' bid for the 2015 championship came to an inglorious end at last weekend's finals series in Kilsyth.
Minor premiers in the regular season, the Roller Hawks were booted out after losing consecutive games to Red Dust Heelers and Kilsyth Cobras.
Wollongong were thrashed 78-54 by the Heelers in the major semi-final on Friday night and went down 78-73 to Kilsyth in the final the following day.
The Cobras went on to claim the title with a 72-63 triumph over Red Dust in Sunday's grand final.
Two-times Paralympian Brett Stibners was a one-man show for the Roller Hawks against the Heelers, tallying 38 points, 14 rebounds and five assists.
But no other Wollongong player scored in double figures.
Red Dust relied on a more balanced attack, with five players reaching double digits. The standout was seasoned campaigner Brad Ness, who finished with an impressive triple-double of 29 points, 15 rebounds and 10 assists.
Wollongong were up by four at half-time against Kilsyth before being out-played in the second half.
Stibners had 26 points against the Cobras, Michael Auprince had 17 points and 10 rebounds, while Luke Pople and Nick Taylor combined for 28 points.
Leading the way for Kilsyth was former Roller Hawks star Tristan Knowles, who racked up 33 points, 12 assists and seven rebounds.