IN HIS first outing against his former team, new Tasmania JackJumpers forward Josh Bannan put together a magnificent performance against the Brisbane Bullets, leading Tassie to a thrilling two-point win on Saturday night.

The second match of the day after the Sydney Kings bested the New Zealand Breakers, the Bullets hosted the JackJumpers at Brisbane Entertainment Centre, and the home team were missing two of their big three, with Casey Prather and Javon Freeman-Liberty both out with injury in a huge blow to Brisbane’s chances.

In a game that had 17 lead changes and plenty of see-sawing action, it was a dramatic finish to proceedings. Tasmania captain Will Magnay threw down a wide-open dunk with 33 seconds on the clock, before drawing a charge down the other end to wave off Tyrell Harrison‘s equalizer, with the JackJumpers holding on for their third consecutive win.

It was a massive showing from Bannan, who was everywhere for the victors in a defining performance against his former team, producing a massive double-double and showing why the JackJumpers chased him during the off-season.

Brisbane Bullets (82) def. by Tasmania JackJumpers (84)

Josh Bannan – 23 points, 15 rebounds, two assists, one steal

After a solid start to the season, the forward delivered his best performance in a JackJumpers uniform, stuffing the stat-sheet as a scorer and rebounder and bringing his physicality to the forefront to send a message to his old team.

Bannan started the match as a force on the glass, pulling down several defensive rebounds with strong positioning as well as nailing his timing on the offensive boards to deliver a nice tip-in shot as the JackJumpers got rolling. With six boards in the first eight minutes of play, he was having a huge say on Tasmania’s success, while a nice jumpshot got him truly going offensively, although a pair of early fouls limited his court time.

The forward returned to the fold in the second frame, and immediately got back to his physical ways, driving inside and drawing contact, before nailing both shots at the free throw line. The JackJumpers recruit continued to be unstoppable on the glass, and also showed his ability to stretch the floor with his first three-pointer of the match. Bannan kept drawing fouls, but would split his shots and leave some points at the free throw line, although he still had a double-double at the main change.

He started the second half in commanding fashion, nailing a layup through contact, although he could not convert the and-one. Another two strong finishes inside the paint followed shortly after, and the Bullets could not stop him from rolling to the basket. Bannan rounded out the third frame with some more strong work on the glass, but Tasmania trailed by eight points at the final change.

Bannan helped lead the final quarter charge by playing to his strengths on the offensive end, continuing to roll to the basket and finish inside the paint as the JackJumpers remarkably took the lead in the opening minutes. After Brisbane regathered momentum, Bannan had a huge play, bringing his side within one point with another big layup, before stepping up with some massive moments in the closing stages.

He found Magnay for the wide open dunk to give Tassie the lead in the final minute, before getting a hand on Tohi Smith-Milner‘s attempted game-winning three-pointer in the final second of the match to help his team hold on for victory.

Bannan finished with a game-high 23 points on 9/12 shooting from the field to go with a whopping 15 rebounds and some massive moments down the stretch. The JackJumpers added Bannan to their roster over the off-season and it has proven a winning formula after he led them to victory against his old side in enemy territory.