Edgewaters Turkeys and Forget Me Not Jets met in a thrilling final of the 2019-20 Isle of Man Basketball League season at the NSC on Thursday evening.

Turkeys, the current title holders, had an unbeaten record heading into the match and arrived keen to claim the ultimate crown of a perfect season.

Jets achieved their second final in the club’s short two-season history and, although the engine spluttered with some unexpected losses in mid-season, they returned from hiatus on full power.

Swift applause came from the crowd - at the moment larger than those in the NBA - as Chris Wolfendale opened the game with a swish three-pointer for Turkeys, once again proving his credentials as one of the best shooters in the island.

The aggressive defence from Turkeys initially caught Jets off guard, giving the title holders plenty of opportunities to gobble up steals and fast-break points.

Jets adjusted quickly though, Tom Dalton-Brown using his pace to drive to the heart of the defence and draw multiple fouls, leaving Turkeys in foul trouble for the quarter and forcing them to ease the pressure.

Jets started to close the gap with quick ball movement round the perimeter and aided by a great up-and-under move from Mattie Jennings. With less than 20 seconds left in the quarter, Dalton-Brown swished an exciting three drawing the Jets to within five and electrifying the crowd.

There was barely time to catch breath though as Sean Doyle grabbed the inbound and went coast-to-coast for a quick Turkeys reply, extending the lead to 21-14 at the buzzer.

The second quarter was dominated by pace and determination, each team mounting an active jumping defence that led to plenty of intercepts and swift breaks.

Initially it was Turkeys who saw the greatest benefit, Wolfendale and Doyle proving a difficult combo to catch. Jets offence again struggled with the Turkeys pressure but, as the half ended, Paul Kilic found his form hitting mid-range jumpers and outside threes to narrow the gap to 34-26.

Jets took off at the start of the third quarter, quick back-and-forths benefitting Dalton-Brown and Kilic. As the game progressed the two teams traded baskets, Turkeys found some nice looks for David Boyle and forced turnovers, including one into the hands of Ben Barlow who converted to extend the lead.

A time-out saw Jets change their pace which paid dividends with a fadeaway from Kilic and a strong lay-up by Jennings to keep the gap close, the score standing 49-40 to Turkeys at the buzzer.

Basketball is a game of momentum where single-point leads can turn to double-digit deficits. Turkeys know this well and aimed to put such thoughts to bed with an opening three-pointer from Wolfendale. Kilic replied with a quick mid-range two and Jets then found an opening for Wayne Mears to swish a shot.

As the final quarter wore on, Jets continued to probe a solid Turkeys defence, sometimes to their cost as Dalton-Brown discovered, taking a hit on the drive and landing hard to a collective gasp from the hall - ever unflappable though, he sank the resulting free-throw.

As time grew tight so did the scoreline, Jets putting Turkeys under points pressure when, with less than two minutes left on the clock, Wolfendale again found his spot and swished the three prompting an immediate time-out from Jets.

Opting to advance the ball, Jets were quick to find the hands of Kilic who sank a three-point reply with ease.

Still in the lead, Turkeys opted to kill time with slower offences and Jets found their foul discipline from early in the quarter was a drawback, desperately trying to get to team fouls and put Turkeys on the line for free-throws thereby giving Jets chance to steal the boards and the offence.

The clock worked against them though and, despite a valiant effort, Turkeys kept the possessions, picking up a few points along the way.

With the final few seconds counting down, Jets accepted the inevitable, slowing their final offence to the buzzer and congratulating the 2019-20 champions Edgewater Turkeys who clinched the game, title and the perfect season 68-53.

The plate game saw a reduced Microgaming Cavaliers take on the boisterous Fun Guys in an enjoyable match. Fun Guys relied heavily on quick breaks and aggressive drives as a counterpoint to Cavaliers’ more structured movement and inside play.

Nice baskets from Amutyilani Hikwa and Jelo gave Fun Guys a solid start but harsh rims rejected plenty of solid chances in the latter stages of the game.

Cavs’ successes came from the outside shooting of Phil Evans coupled by baseline cuts from Lez Winnicki and Dave Minay mopping up the boards. When all was said and done, it was the structured play of Cavs came out on top 64-50, with Phil Evans taking player of the match.

Isle of Man Basketball Association would like to thank the National Sport Centre, match officials, players and all the supporters.

The association would also like to thank Kevin and Julie Amphlett and highlight the great work of their charity Forget Me Not, which supports dementia sufferers and their families in the island.

With the 2019-20 campaign now complete, basketball will go on a short hiatus as preparations are made for the new season. If you are interested in joining the Isle of Man Basketball Association next season, then contact Martin on [email protected]