The NZ Breakers are $300,000 richer after overcoming a Bryce Cotton masterclass to defeat the Adelaide 36ers 111-107 in the inaugural Ignite Cup final on the Gold Coast.
In front of a sold-out crowd on Sunday, Cotton threatened to drag Adelaide over the line with a 34-point, nine-assist haul.
But NZ came up with the goods when it mattered most, and it was lightning-quick guard Parker Jackson-Cartwright who stood the tallest.
The 30-year-old was limited to just six points in the first half, but he exploded in the second half to finish with 29 points, five assists and two steals in a huge display.
Jackson-Cartwright had plenty of help.
Sam Mennenga (21 points), Izaiah Brockington (21 points), Reuben Te Rangi (17 points, eight rebounds) and Karim Lopez (12 points, eight rebounds, five assists) all stepped up in key moments to lift NZ to the upset win.
Mennenga was particularly crucial in the final 20 seconds, nailing four free throws to ensure Adelaide couldn’t get within striking distance of forcing the game into overtime.
It means NZ walk away with the $300,000 winner’s cheque, with 60 per cent of that to go to the players under NBL rules.
“It’s incredible. We really fought,” Jackson-Cartwright said.
“We made good plays at the end. We earned that. That was a 40-minute battle. We’re proud of ourselves.”
Adelaide still walked away with $100,000 for being runners-up, and now have a big finals campaign to prepare for after finishing second on the ladder.
Cotton, who missed Adelaide’s final regular-season game with a back niggle, looked like he hadn’t missed a beat, while Zylan Cheatham (21 points, three blocks) and Nick Rakocevic (21 points, 11 rebounds) were huge at both ends of the court.
The opening quarter was a high-quality affair as both teams came out all guns blazing in attack.
NZ made all four of their three-point attempts for the term, including two to Te Rangi, to take a 28-25 lead into quarter time, but in an ominous warning, Cotton was already starting to heat up with eight points to his name.
Cotton’s influence grew even further early in the second quarter, scoring five quick points and setting up Cheatham for a jaw-dropping alley-oop dunk.
Adelaide went into half-time with a 52-47 lead, but NZ had a huge highlight of their own late in the second quarter when Carlin Davison jumped across two defenders to produce a stunning dunk.
Jackson-Cartwright had little influence in the first half, but he found his groove with 12 points in the third quarter as the Breakers shot out to an eight-point lead.
Adelaide reeled them in during the dying minutes of the term to take a 82-81 lead into three-quarter time, setting up a grandstand finish.
Jackson-Cartwright’s pace caused Adelaide more headaches early in the last as NZ skipped out to a seven-point lead, with the buffer proving enough to hold off the 36ers’ late charge.
