LOUGHTON OUT
Retiring Taipans captain a winner in his last game in front of home crowd
A TRUE Taipans champion has been sent out in perfect fashion on his home floor.
The 2018-19 season has been one to forget for the Cairns NBL franchise but everything clicked on Saturday afternoon — sending Alex Loughton into retirement in the best possible way.
They still have two road games to play to finish the campaign but for the retiring 35-year-old power forward, a big victory in front of a packed crowd in his final outing in the Far North — it does not get much better than that.
It was vintage Loughton on Saturday, with 11 points and five rebounds, in the 79-68 upset victory that will all but end the finals dreams of the Taipans’ Queensland rivals.
The fist-pumping forward had the best plus-minus statistic of anyone in the game, with the Snakes scoring 19 more points than the opposition in his 18 minutes on court.
It was his last game in Cairns but Loughton certainly did not limp to the finish line.
The retiring champion was injected into the starting unit for the first time in weeks and opened the club’s scoring, draining a big triple with just over seven minutes to play in the first.
And, in customary Loughton fashion, he celebrated it with a big fist-pump.
He was in the action early, taking a charge soon after on Bullets guard Jason Cadee, before he was sent to the charity stripe.
He made one of the early pair.
In the second quarter, the occasion may have got to the power forward when he missed a regulation lay-up.
But, in true Loughton fashion, he had to smile at the mistake as he ran back down the court on defence.
He did not waste his last opportunity to give out five fouls either, making four count on the Brisbane opposition by the third term, which forced him back to the bench.
With the game all but over late in the final term, Loughton was fouled taking the ball to the rim, finished his work and completed the three-point play to receive the loudest cheer of the afternoon.
The adoring crowd celebrated the veteran forward whenever he was involved in the play.
He thanked the crowd for all their support during his career post-game.
“I just enjoyed the moment, it was a great way to finish my time in Cairns,” Loughton said.
“I felt I was doing some things out there, I was just trying to be “Loughzy” out there, I felt good.
“Coach put me in late in the game and I was able to get it done.”
A Melo Trimble bomb that took a few pieces of the rim before falling in with 90 seconds to play secured the Snakes’ fifth victory of the campaign.