THE NEW Zealand Breakers are the first ever National Basketball League (NBL) Ignite Cup champions after defeating the Adelaide 36ers in the final on the Gold Coast on Sunday afternoon, getting the job done by four points.

The home and away portion of the fixture wrapped up this weekend, but the action finished with a decider for the maiden NBL in-season tournament, which took place throughout the season. Despite missing out on the postseason, the Breakers made it to the Ignite Cup final, and were set to come up against a Sixers side they had not beaten all season.

In a thrilling conclusion to their 2025/26 campaign, New Zealand was able to hold on for a four-point victory over the championship contenders in front of a sold out crowd at the Gold Coast Convention Centre on Sunday.

Adelaide 36ers (107) def. by New Zealand Breakers (111)

The Breakers claimed the prize money after defeating the Sixers by four points in an entertaining battle, delivering in the second half of the match when it was all on the line, outscoring Adelaide 64-53 after the main change.

It was a result built on the efforts of star point guard Parker Jackson-Cartwright, who was electric in the first half in particular, dropping 23 points in the final 20 minutes of the game. He and the Breakers would remember dropping winnable games to the Sixers early in the fixture, and with the stakes higher than ever on Sunday, got their redemption.

The point guard finished the contest with 29 points and five assists on 11/20 shooting from the field, 3/5 shooting from behind the arc and 4/5 shooting from the charity stripe. He has put together an underrated season from a personal standpoint, and finished his campaign.

Jackson-Cartwright engaged in an enthralling duel with MVP fancy Bryce Cotton, who did everything he could to drag the Sixers over the line. The five-time Andrew Gaze Trophy winner was everywhere for Adelaide, and put the team from South Australia on his back on the Gold Coast, finishing the contest with 34 points on 9/18 shooting from the field and a near-perfect 13/14 shooting from the free throw line. Although his side did not get the win, it is an ominous sign for teams that will face Cotton in the upcoming postseason.

It was the big names that stepped up for New Zealand, with Jackson-Cartwright provided plenty of support from Sam Mennenga and Izaiah Brockington. The former was ice-cold when the Sixers cut the margin down to two in the closing stages of the contest, knocking down the dagger free throws to end the match with 21 points, four boards and three assists, while Brockington had 21 points of his own and was crucial in the result.

In his final performance in the NBL, Next Star Karim Lopez was rock solid with 12 points on an extremely efficient 5/6 shooting from the field, while also stuffing the stat sheet with eight boards, five dimes and a pair of steals. It was the perfect way to close out his time in the program before turning his attention to the 2026 NBA Draft in the coming months.

Despite the loss, Adelaide did have a number of strong performers outside of Cotton, which is promising heading into the finals. The main two standouts were Zylan Cheatham (21 points, 6/9 FG, 9/11 FT) and Nick Rakocevic (21 points, 11 rebounds), with the pair providing valuable offensive support to their star point guard.