The script could scarcely have a better finale as the Tasmania JackJumpers downed the Brisbane Bullets 83-74 in overtime in front of a sold-out Derwent Entertainment Centre.
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It was a moment 26 years in the making, a moment which meant a new era for Tasmanian basketball and a landmark occasion for sport in the state.
After his dad Wayne McDaniel starred over two decades ago for the Hobart Devils, it was fitting in a sense that guard Sam McDaniel would score the JackJumpers opening points against the Bullets.
For a team many have marked for the NBL's scrapheap, the JackJumpers came out with fire and brimstone against the Bullets as they took an eight-point lead into their first break.
There were signs of attacking flair as import guard Josh Magette sunk a buzzer-beater three and centre Will Magnay delivered a dunk but the cornerstone was the defensive ferocity on show from the tip-off.
Roth's edict of pressure defence was on display as his side notched two blocks and pressured the Bullets into four turnovers for easy scores the other way.
The Bullets came out in the second period willing to apply some defensive duress of their own as they forced a series of stops at the home side's attacking end.
It took until deep in the second term for the Bullets to sink their first from beyond the arc via Nathan Sobey (24 points), but once they found their shooting grove, the JackJumpers' lead diminished to one point.
It will shape as one of the area will the Tasmanian side will seek to improve on in the coming weeks, according to JackJumpers captain Clint Steindl.
"We'll watch video over the next few days and see all the things we messed up and most of them are quick fixes," he said.
The Bullets' threat always lingered in their big three of Sobey, Lamar Patterson and Robert Franks but when Patterson failed to hit his mark like the NBL fans have become accustomed to in the third term, the JackJumpers crept away.
There is a closeness between the JackJumpers which was evident on the court as the huddled during a time-out in the last minutes of the fourth term with the game on the line.
Athletic guard Josh Adams spoke to that closeness post-game.
"Going right back to when I first arrived, they have been great. They saved my life basketball-wise and for us this is just the beginning," he said.
"There's not enough words I can say about these guys."
As the crowd's anticipation rose as the final siren drew near, the main stars shined bright. Franks and Sobey threatened to drag the game away, it was the JackJumpers' defence which held firm.
The DEC threatened to lift off into the stratosphere as the 4,738 crowd rode every shot as the Bullets crumbled at the free-throw line in the dying seconds of the fourth. The JackJumpers went into raptures to hit their two free-throws only for Brisbane to deliver a three-point dagger and deliver overtime.
When Brisbane needed a match winner, Sobey, arguably the best on the night, was ejected for an unsportsmanlike foul to add to the drama.
The pivotal moment seemed to release the pressure on the JackJumpers as they rocked on the back of Josh Adams' acrobatics all the way to the final siren for a historic result.
"I feel like we should have won at the end of regular time. We used some lives but I'm stoked for these guys. It's the first of many, that's for sure," Steindl said.
The JackJumpers will return to the DEC on December 9 when they host the Adelaide 36ers.
"The crowd helped get us over the line and if this [type of] crowd shows up again on Thursday [against the Adelaide 36ers], I'm sure we can get it done again," Steindl said.
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