THE Taranaki Airs have produced one of the most impressive wins of the 2022 New Zealand National Basketball League (NZNBL) season, downing the ladder-leading Auckland Turatara to the tune of two points. It was a Friday night thriller, with the contest being decided in the final seconds of play at TSV Stadium.

Coming into the game, the Turatara had sustained just the one loss for the season, and we’re the favoured side in this matchup, as their opponents had won just three of their first seven games. Despite these expectations, the Airs delivered a magnificent performance, particularly on the offensive end, where they were able to match the output of Auckland and take the game right down to the wire.

Anthony Hilliard was the hero, nailing a jump shot with seven seconds on the clock to give his side the match-winning lead, with the Turatara unable to conjure an answer. The result sees the Airs remain in sixth spot, but keep in touch with the sides ahead of them, while the race for top position becomes much more interesting with Auckland’s second loss.

Taranaki Airs (88) def. Auckland Turatara (86)

Things were not looking great for the Airs in the opening few minutes, with the opposition getting out to a seven-point lead. Taranaki was finally able to get on the board through Hilliard, and it slowly managed to chip away at the deficit and even things up on the scoreboard. However, Auckland broke away again and took a seven-point lead into the first break. The home side looked to make things more interesting in the second term, but instead, it was the Turatara that managed. The lead ballooned out to double-digits, and it looked like the match would pan out as expected. Heading into the main break, the margin was at eight points, and the Airs had a fair bit of work to do in the second half.

Behind the efforts of Hilliard, the Airs managed to turn things around in the first half of the third term, erasing the lead completely and taking the lead in the final few minutes of the term. Their ball movement and efficiency lifted in a big way, and suddenly the Turatara found themselves on the back foot. The final term was extremely entertaining, with neither side able to break away in the final 10 minutes. However, Hilliard had the final say with a jump shot with seven seconds on the clock, it ended up being the deciding play, with Auckland unable to conjure a reply in time.

Hilliard was the man of the hour for the Airs, producing not only the winning bucket, but a 34-point outing, all of which was completely match-winning. He was a major reason for the comeback in the second half, and was by far the best player on the court. Robert Loe was the pick of the bunch for Auckland with 19 points and nine boards.