IN AN overtime thriller in the National Basketball League (NBL) on Friday night, Cairns Taipans were able to chalk up a gutsy win over the Tasmania JackJumpers at the Cairns Convention Centre to play agent of chaos in the race for sixth spot.

It was a massive encounter in the context of the finals race, as although the Taipans were all but ruled out of the postseason action, the JackJumpers were fighting to hold onto sixth spot among an even playing field. It would need to be an impressive showing from Tasmania on the road missing its two best players in Will Magnay and Bryce Hamilton, although Cairns was dealt a similarly important blow when Andrew Andrews was ruled out just before tip-off.

The game went down to the wire, with the Taipans leading most of the match before the JackJumpers hit their straps late to force overtime, although an offensive masterclass from former Tassie star Jack McVeigh proved the winning factor, leading Cairns to a gritty three-point triumph to shake up the battle for a play-in spot in the coming months.

Cairns Taipans (96) def. Tasmania JackJumpers (93)

Although the JackJumpers were undermanned, the visitors hit the front early, on the back of the returning Majok Deng, who caught fire in the opening frame with 10 early points to play a crucial role for a Tassie team in dire need of offensive contributors. However, the Taipans were able to steady the ship from there, having far too many scoring options for the Tasmanian defence to handle, and led by 10 points at quarter time.

Over the course of the first and second quarters, Cairns went on an impressive 20-3 run, with the home side completely in control of proceedings. Undisciplined defence from the JackJumpers cost the visitors dearly, and although David Johnson gave Tasmania some spark, the Taipans were simply overwhelming on the scoring side, and led by 15 points at the main change, having put 54 points on the board in 20 minutes.

McVeigh was already proving a problem for the JackJumpers, nailing all 10 of his attempts from the charity stripe to have 20 points to his name at the main break. The NBL champion seems to go to another level against his former side, and was a massive reason for the Taipans’ considerable lead at the big break.

The JackJumpers came out swinging after the main change, knocking down consecutive triples to reign in the Taipans. Adjustments on both sides of the ball saw the visitors wrestle back some momentum for the first time since the opening frame, and at the end of the third period, the margin was whittled back down to six points. Again it was McVeigh who was the difference, dropping the final 10 points of the third for Cairns.

Although the Taipans were clinging to their lead for most of the final term, a 9-0 run saw the JackJumpers hit the front, before a collection of clutch makes rounded out regulation. McVeigh answered for the hosts with a pair of long-range bombs, before Deng tied up the match at the free throw line. The former tried to deliver a game-winner at the end of the fourth, but was well held by the Tasmania defence to force overtime.

The JackJumpers lost another pair of contributors when Johnson fouled out and Tyger Campbell succumbed to a nasty bout of cramp. Their defensive work on McVeigh was keeping the visitors in the fight, but it was Kody Stattmann who led the way down the stretch for the Taipans. The youngster scored seven unanswered points for the home side, and Tasmania could not conjure an answer down the other end as Cairns held on.

McVeigh finished the contest with another 40-piece while playing all 45 minutes, overcoming a bout of inefficiency from the field (9/25 FG) by nailing all of his 17 attempts from the charity stripe to punish Tassie from the charity stripe consistently. Stattmann was one of the biggest positives for the victors, dropping 18 points and taking over late, while Mojave King had 16 points in a reliable showing.

Deng did all he could to drag Tassie over the line on the road, dropping 28 points in his first game back from concussion, but his game-tying attempt to force a second overtime rattled out, denying what would have been a fitting reward for his hard work. Big man Josh Bannan did all the dirty work in the low block to post a huge double-double of 18 points and 15 rebounds in a typical workhorse performance from the forward.