What a super Saturday it was at the Nest, with all three QSL teams taking home victories and extending their seasons by another week.
The night started off with the QSL2 Seahawks men facing off against Southern Districts in a 4th vs 5th quarter final.
The Seahawks men started off their do or die matchup going basket for basket with Districts and eventually going on a dry spell towards the end of the 2nd quarter, heading into half time down 12.
You could have been mistaken that the young Seahawks crew were off their feet in the 3rd quarter, getting behind by 23 points at one stage but this didn’t deter Coach Savic's team.
The 4th quarter was something out of a movie, with the Seahawks chipping away at the Spartans lead, with crucial stops and quick buckets on the menu, you could feel the tension rising within the Districts team.
With a minute left, it seemed as if the Seahawks had run out of steam with Southern Districts utilising crucial time off the clock each offensive possession.
This is where the fun began…..
Norbert Csiki-Bege got his feet in the paint and finished strong to put the Seahawks behind 5. The Southern Districts Spartans got themselves to the foul line, only converting on 1 of 2 foul shots and leaving the door slightly ajar for the home side.
Daniel Gardner (35 points) hit a huge 3 to reduce the deficit to three and bringing the packed Nest crowd to their feet.
With both teams having missed opportunities, coach Marko Savic used his last available time out to set up a game tying play. Gardner had the play drawn up for him, with Districts playing it smart and committing a quick foul to restart the set. The Seahawks Men executed it again for Gardner to get away the game tying 3 which was unsuccessful, but Csiki-Bege hit the offensive glass and got the and-1 to go, tying the ball game after making his foul shot.
Spartans tried breaking the Seahawks press with Conor Nirazuka picking the pocket of the Spartans guard and getting himself to the foul line, icing both foul shots to complete the miracle comeback of being down 7 points with 45 seconds to go and to eventually win the game 85-83.
The QSL2 Men had to back up their memorable victory in less than 24 hours against the number one placed team Sunshine Coast Phoenix. In a tight game, the Seahawks men’s season has unfortunately finished, going down to the Phoenix, 96-79.
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