Ezekiel McKenzie stars as Roey Misfits score upset win against Ngadalargin to make Broome basketball finals

A three-point onslaught from sharp-shooters Ezekiel McKenzie and Clinton Manado has landed Roey Misfits a Broome basketball finals berth with an upset 12-point win against minor premiers Ngadalargin. Both players did away with sighters and went straight to the three-point line, with Manado (9pts) sinking the first four seconds after the game started. Returning to the Misfits after a few weeks out, McKenzie (21pts) slotted the second three-pointer one minute later and had another in the bag by the end of the quarter. The duo would amass six long range baskets between them to guide their side to a 45-33 win. McKenzie’s presence had a huge impact on the game. His hard running and pinpoint shots proved a handful, while a rare slam dunk early had onlookers in raptures. With the game looking wrapped up by half time — at that stage the lead was 15 points to the underdogs — Ngadalargin needed a seismic momentum shift. Terramce Cox was an ever-present force around the ball and tried his best to turn the game, and Kamurudin Hunter also fought admirably. But for every play the Misfits had a response. Salvatore Mastrolembo and Michael Hajiali toiled hard to win the ball while McKenzie kept adding to the highlight reel. The closest Ngadalargin would get was 11 points courtesy of a three-point free throw to Cox on three quarter time. A string of fouls early in the final term saw to it that the comeback would not be on, however, as Manado’s poised shots sealed the game for the Misfits. They will face the MpBoyz in the final next week, who they lost to on both occasions during the regular season.