The Andy Bay Falcons survived a late resurgence to claim overtime victory and advance to the semifinals.
A late push from the Magic Lions forced overtime in the Dunedin men’s club basketball quarterfinal on Saturday.
The Falcons eventually claimed a 113-107 win, setting up a semifinal with the top-finishing Mid City Magic in two weeks .
The Falcons’ lead had hovered around 10 since early in the second quarter.
They shot well early, spurred on by Hamish Robertson (32 points), who hit six three-pointers to do damage against the Lions’ zone.
He sparked a run early in the second quarter, opening a 40-28 lead and forcing the Lions into a timeout.
The Lions were able to stem the flow, finding ways to score at the hoop.
However, they could not genuinely eat into the Falcons’ lead, which became 56-43 at halftime.
That closed to 76-68 by the end of the third quarter, Darcy Knox (25 points) beginning to ignite a comeback for the Lions.
It was not until after the final break that comeback came to fruition, though.
While Robertson, Matt Pyper (20 points) and Toby Lewis (19 points) helped keep the score ticking over, the Falcons offence was not operating at the rate it had been.
Meanwhile, the Lions shooting picked up.
Lachie Cameron (13 points) hit a triple before finishing a three-point play to tie the score at 83-83 with six minutes to play.
The Falcons ensured the Lions never took the lead, but the Lions began hitting big man Samson Aruwa (16 points), whose size proved difficult to stop.
When Darcy Knox hit a three-pointer to tie the score at 95-95, with four seconds to go, the game seemed destined for overtime.
Yet the Falcons called timeout and Pyper slipped to the hoop, drawing a foul on the catch from the ensuing inbound play.
He hit both free throws, putting the Falcons up two with 3sec left.
But the Lions had one final counterpunch.
They hit Aruwa, who tied the score, forcing overtime in the final minute.
In overtime the Falcons were more clinical, holding a slight lead most of the way, before Pyper was fouled on a three-pointer.
He hit all three free throws, taking the score to 112-105 with 40sec to play, the final blow in a thrilling encounter.
In the other quarterfinal, the City Rise Bombers predictably thrashed Varsity 109-64.
Matthew Bardsley led the Bombers with 32 points.
They will face the St Kilda Saints in the other semifinal.
Those semifinals will be played in two weeks time, due to the impact next weekend’s under-23 national championships would have on all four squads.
