AN excellent comeback has seen the Knox Raiders run over the top of the Mackay Meteors to claim the 2024 National Basketball League (NBL)1 Men’s National Championship on the Sunshine Coast on Sunday afternoon.

Despite missing the finals in the NBL1 South this year, the Raiders still had a spot booked at the National Finals after winning it all last year. Meanwhile, the Meteors were the kings of the NBL1 North for season 2024, and despite missing some key cogs in their starting lineup, advanced to the decider with some impressive wins over Mandurah and Forestville over the weekend.

It was a thrilling contest, with the Meteors continuing to roll through with impressive form to lead by double-digits at one stage. However, the Raiders kept chipping away to eventually gain scoreboard ascendancy and claim a tense three-point win for the ultimate prize.

Knox Raiders (87) def. Mackay Meteors (83)

The Raiders were stunned by Mackay in the opening term, as the Meteors jumped out to a double-digit lead after both teams wrestled for momentum in the opening minutes. They controlled most of the term, closing out the first on a 16-5 run to lead by 10 points at the first change, leaving Knox with some adjustments to make moving forward.

Although the Raiders were able to knock down some shots from behind the arc to start the second term, Mackay maintained scoreboard ascendancy due to an amazing ability to score in the paint. By the time the main break rolled around, the Meteors held a seven-point buffer, on the back of shooting 74 per cent from the field, which was a testament to their inside scoring.

The Raiders started to show some life in the third quarter, chipping away at the deficit and remaining within striking distance after half time. Some timely makes from behind the arc saw the margin drop to just two points at three-quarter time, with improved paint defence playing a crucial role in the momentum shift.

Knox continued to use three-point shooting to its advantage in the final term, hitting the lead early in the piece for the first time since the opening quarter. Anzac Rissetto had an individual 7-0 run to give the Raiders some serious spark, and the team led by 12 points in seemingly no time at all. With three minutes to play and a double-digit lead in hand, it looked as if Knox had pulled it off. However, the Meteors had one more run in the tank, and got proceedings down to a two-point game.

Mackay ran out of time in an attempt to get off a game-tying three-pointer, as the Raiders made it back to back National titles.

Knox big man Kyle Bowen was a deserving MVP winner, posting a huge double-double of 24 points, 15 rebounds, two assists, three steals and two blocks in a stat-stuffing performance. He was a consistent performer across all four quarters, and stepped up with the title on the line late in the match.

Teammate Austin Rapp was also a standout in the close win as well with 16 points and 12 rebounds, while KJ Feagin was electric on the offensive end with 20 points on 4/8 shooting from three-point land.

Had the Meteors won, the performance of Emmett Naar would have been much bigger news, with the Mackay skipper having a huge impact and nearly dragged his team to victory with 21 points (9/18 FG), 10 rebounds and 18 assists.