There was a dramatic conclusion to Isle of Man Basketball Association’s Cup competition as Forget Me Not Jets and OG Manx Marvels faced off in the final on Thursday.

This while other teams competed for position in the Cup table at the NSC.

Marvels split from Wolves for the purposes of the Cup, with some retired players suiting up to join former team-mates.

The opening of the Cup final felt very familiar then, taking a similar path to the previous week’s Wolves/Jets match-up, and it was Jets who controlled the opening minutes with baskets from Wayne Mears and Jakob Glover.

As with Wolves the week before, Marvels took a few minutes to find their form but were soon snapping at the heels of Jets thanks to the keen shooting of Ross Wilson and inside presence of Jack Murray.

Both Wilson and Murray would prove to be key factors in Marvels’ game plan, as Wilson dominated the defensive boards and mid-ranging shooting while Murray was key on the opposite end of the floor through effective pick-and-rolls and solid rebounding.

As the first half progressed the teams stayed finely balanced, neither more than one or two points ahead.

The breakthrough came for Marvels late in the first half as a lockdown defence paid off in disrupting Jets’ flow and opened opportunities for fast breaks by Ollie Smith and Ben Campbell.

Frustration was evident from Jets as the deficit grew and they left gaps in the defence that Marvels happily exploited for offensive boards. A corner three-pointer from Tom Dalton-Brown kept Jets in contention but, when half-time arrived, they were trailing the Marvels 17-25.

Another swish three from Dalton-Brown opened the second half and was quickly followed by a mid-range jumper from Michael Baker that further narrowed the lead.

A tense 15-minute battle of the defences followed, as both teams locked down the key and challenged every shot in an effort to seize the momentum of the game.

Marvels kept the lead as the clock ran down, aided by Murray who hit an inside shot and drew the foul for a crucial three-point play that stunted Jets’ advance.

With time running against them, Jets were forced into fouling in the final few minutes, putting Marvels on the line for free shots but giving Jets an opportunity to gain possession.

Wilson sank two free-throws, extending Marvels’ lead but leading to a Jets baseline inbound. Quick pace down the court put the ball into Danny Harrison’s hands and he obliged with a basket for Jets that narrowed the gap with only seconds left.

Marvels still held the lead and inbounded quickly against a scramble defence from Jets. Quick passing put the ball into the hands of Wilson who found space on the court to avoid the defence and run out the clock, securing the win and the Cup for Marvels, 29-33.

The other keen battle of the night saw PwC Hoops play Microgaming Cavaliers in a game that went down to the wire.

Cavs dominated the first-half scoring, Andrew Cregeen and Baxter Chamberlain hitting the mark from mid-range and outside the arc.

Slow to start scoring, the game could have easily gotten away from Hoops but Lauren Ellison and Danielle Murphy kept them in contention late in the first with a flurry of baskets that narrowed Cavaliers’ lead to 10 points at half-time, 26-16.

The late flurry shifted the momentum to Hoops and they carried it through into the opening of the second half as Murphy swished a three-pointer and Gemma Kirkham worked the inside boards, drawing fouls and swishing shots.

Solid defence slowed Cavs’ scoring but they maintained the lead for most of the second half, Daniel Dunajewski and Lez Winnicki taking up the scoring mantle.

The tone shifted mid-way through the half though as Hoops again upped their intensity, pushing the break and moving the ball well. Oksana Federovych and Becky Dunne racked up points, with the latter swishing a three that gave Hoops their first lead of the game.

The final minutes were an intense contest as Hoops worked to hold the lead while Cavaliers looked for opportunities. Both teams capitalised on their chances and, as the clock ran down to the final 11 seconds, Hoops held the lead and called a timeout.

Advancing the inbound down the court post timeout meant that Cavaliers would have more distance to cover if they got the steal.

Hoops need not have worried though as they managed to get the ball in and hold possession all the way to the final buzzer, capping their Cup campaign with an impressive comeback win, 44-48.

l The evening’s other matches saw Wolves chalk up a convincing win against Turkeys while a Ravens derby saw Nane beat Jees in a close-fought competition.

Wolves controlled the pace of their game from the outset, Viktor Capkanovski converting steals and turnovers with ease while Cameron Scott dominated on the boards - final score 81-32 to Wolves.

Ravens Nane took early control of their game against league team-mates Ravens Jees. They could have run out easy winners, but Jees staged an impressive second-half comeback. A late flurry saved Nane though and they secured the win, 51-40.

Final Cup Table:

1, OG Manx Marvels

2, Forget Me Not Jets

3, Wolves

4, Turkeys

5, Ravens Nane

6, Ravens Jees

7, PwC Hoops

8, Microgaming Cavaliers