Wolves and Jets faced off in the Championship final for the third time in as many years as the 2024/25 Isle of Man basketball season reached its climax on Thursday evening.

Both teams have posted strong performances against each other in the regular season and anticipation was high for an energetic game at the NSC Arena Court.

Wolves were quick to bite with a drive from the jump ball that drew the foul from Tom Dalton-Brown and put Viktor Capkanovski on the line for two free-throws. A fast break lay-up and mid-range from Ross Wilson saw Wolves build a slender lead.

It was short-lived though as Jets tied the game with two solid outside shots from Dalton-Brown and Paul Kilic.

This was an indicator of the game to come, neither managing to pull more than a few points ahead in a to-and-fro match that was decided on fine margins.

Wolves continued to attack the rim with strong drives and picks, while Jets ran more set pieces that opened up nice dish opportunities combined with swish outside shooting. Both teams worked well on offence to spread the scoring across their squads, with multiple players being serious offensive threats which forced a co-ordinated effort from each team’s defence.

Wolves maintained a solid man-on-man defence throughout, although were punished at times for ball watching with some nice drive-and-dump and backdoor cuts.

Jets alternated between defences but favoured a box-and-one, with Dalton-Brown covering Capkanovski. It left them exposed on the weakside at times to the benefit of Harry Brindle, Michael Pardoe and Wilson.

The first quarter saw Jets ahead by the smallest of margins, Jakob Glover hitting a late fast break to put them ahead 22-21.

Peter Boussougou extended the lead with a three and a mid-range at the start of the second, but Wolves were quick to hit back and had stolen the lead at the mid-point as Ben Takken joined Wilson and Capkanovski in solid drives.

The second ended as a score tie for the quarter, but left Jets ahead 38-37 at half-time.

Wolves tied the game in the third, 55-55, with rookie Max Edwards and stalwart Pardoe hitting their marks, and the game stayed effectively tied throughout the fourth quarter until a nice shot from Kilic gave Jets a two-point advantage.

Wilson drew the game level in the final minute of the fourth, a solid drive putting him on the line for foul free-throws which he sank to bring the game to 69-69.

Jets were soon back in the lead though as Boussougou and Mears both hit mid-range shots to cheers from the sidelines, pushing Jets ahead by four.

Wilson again stepped up on the drive and free-throw line and, with less than 20 seconds remaining, the game was down to two points, Jets ahead 73-71.

Needing possession, Wolves gave a quick foul that put Kilic on the line and extended the Jets lead to three points.

With possession theirs, Wolves used their last timeout to discuss a plan and advance the ball to the front court.

A quick inbound followed by a pick and cut saw the ball hit the hands of Capkanovski and, despite strong defensive pressure from Dalton-Brown, he caused a sensation by swishing a buzzer-beating three-pointer that tied the game 74-74 at full-time.

Overtime was a battle of wills between the two teams, both keeping the intensity high throughout the five-minute period.

Dalton-Brown was quick to open the scoring with a nice drive, but Jets weren’t ahead for long as Wilson went to the basket for Wolves and drew the foul free-throws, sinking both to tie the game 78-78.

The teams stayed level for most of the remaining time, but the last minute saw a flurry of action that drew gasps and cheers from the assembled spectators. Initially Wolves started to pull away, a quick drive from Capkanovski putting them ahead by one which was followed by a three-pointer from Wilson to extend the lead to four.

It could have been the start of a run that would have sealed the game but Dalton-Brown kept a cool head and sank a pressure three-pointer that slashed Wolves’ lead to one, followed on the next attack by a nice jump shot from Mears which flipped the lead in Jets’ favour at 85-84.

Wolves lost possession on the return and, with only a few seconds remaining, were forced to foul putting Kilic on the line. He sank both free-throws, extending Jets’ lead to 87-84 with three seconds remaining in the game.

Wolves managed a quick inbound and got the ball into the hands of Wilson who launched a three-quarter court shot just before the buzzer.

The crowd held their breath as it flew through the air but it was Jets who erupted as the shot fell just short and they claimed a thrilling three-point victory to be crowned 2024-25 champions in one of the best league finals in years.

Man of the match was awarded to Dalton-Brown for an outstanding performance on lockdown defence and offensive presence.

Special mention goes to Capkanovski though, whose buzzer-beating three-pointer is still doing the rounds on social media. Thanks go to all the supporters, officials and organisers for an exciting evening of basketball.

- The Isle of Man Basketball Association wishes to thank all players, coaches, officials and spectators for their participation in an exciting 2024/25 League Season.

The association dinner dance and awards evening will follow post-TT, with dates to be announced in the coming days. Supporters are welcome to attend, with details and tickets available via the basketball association website www.isleofmanbasketball.com

- Focus for basketball now switches to this summer’s Anglesey games, with the men’s and women’s tournament running from July 20. Both teams are deep into their preparations, with training ramping up now that the league has come to a close.

Squads for the games will be announced in the coming weeks and fans can follow the build-up to the tournament and the team’s performance at the games via the aforementioned basketball website.

MARTIN DUNNE