HEARTBREAK FOR JACKS
THE JackJumpers’ Cinderella season is on the verge of ending without a crown after losing to the Sydney Kings in Hobart on Sunday afternoon to trail 0-2 in their best-offive NBL Grand Final series.
Despite missing League MVP Jaylen Adams, the Kings found enough from their talented roster to overcome a two-point deficit at the final change and register a gutsy 90-86 win at MyState Bank Arena to be just one win away from their fourth NBL Championship.
In the first NBL Grand Final game played in Hobart the JackJumpers threw everything they had at the Kings and on the back of a monster performance from American guard Josh Adams the newcomers almost pulled off a huge upset.
Adams set a new franchise high for the JackJumpers with 36 points in a huge performance, but in the end his mind-blowing, late-game heroics weren’t enough to overcome the Kings, who hit crucial shots in the dying moments to hold on for a thrilling victory.
With the Kings leading by five with just 90 seconds left Adams hit a tough mid-range basket and followed it up moments later with a huge three to tie the scores at 8383 with 1:13 left on the clock.
But from there the Kings came up clutch with Ian Clark hitting a mid-range jumper before Dejan Vasiljevic hit a pair of clutch free throws on the next trip down to extend the lead back to 87-83.
Adams refused to give up, though, and hit another huge pull up three to cut the lead back to one point with 31 seconds left.
But to break the hearts of the raucous Hobart crowd Vasiljevic followed up his clutch free throws with a matchwinning three to push the lead to four points with just 10 seconds left.
A desperation three for the Jackjumpers missed and the Kings ran out the clock for a famous victory.
Sydney had won just three of its seven games this season without Jaylen
Adams but he trio of Jarell Martin, skipper Xavier Cooks and Vasiljevic stepped in to put the Kings on the championship threshold with game three in Sydney on Wednesday night.