IN the weekend’s Big V Men’s Basketball action, the Sunbury Jets produced a telling final quarter to hand a loss to the Hume Broncos to the tune of just one point when the two sides locked horns at Broadmeadows Basketball Stadium on Saturday night.

With the home and away fixture about to wrap up for season 2022, the Broncos saw an opportunity to claim a fair upset on the weekend. While they had cemented top four seeding come season’s end, the home side had the opportunity to potentially move up the standings before the finals started, but the ladder-leading Jets stood in their way. Sunbury had lost just the one game coming in, but for much of the game, looked in real danger of doubling that figure.

It was very much a see-sawing affair, as each side held momentum at one point or another. The Broncos jumped out to the perfect start, grabbing a seven-point lead in the first term thanks to a 29-point effort in the opening quarter. A stunned Sunbury outfit was able to bounce back in the second, producing more of the clinical play we have seen all year. They completely outplayed the opposition both offensively and defensively, and turned their deficit into a two-point lead at the main break, and looking extremely likely to run away with the game in the third period.

Hume returned to its early form to open the third quarter, getting back on top of the opposition and reclaiming the lead thanks to some tough work on the defensive end of the court. Once again, the game shifted in the Broncos’ favour, and it was up to the ladder-leaders to respond. In a high-scoring final 10 minutes, the Jets showed why they are the team to beat in the upcoming finals series, and outscored the Broncos 28-24 to steal a victory by the smallest of margins.

To no one’s surprise, Ishmael Sanders led from the front for the winning side, delivering a game-high 26 points. His biggest weapon was his ability to get to the free throw line, and then converting 11 of his 12 attempts from the charity stripe. Closing out an MVP-calibre campaign, Sanders proved too much for the Hume defence.

Anthony Dell’Orso was the man of the moment for the Broncos, with his 20 points almost getting Hume over the line. With teammate Chris Elder in foul trouble for much of the game, he stood up and gave the team some much-needed baskets.