It’s been one of the most emotional weeks in the 24 year history of the Sydney Kings, capped on Sunday afternoon with a gutsy, hard-fought 91-74 loss to the Perth Wildcats at the infamous Jungle.
Despite coming into the game under tremendous adversity, the team produced a remarkable effort, coming back from an 18 point halftime deficit to reduce the margin to just two points early in the fourth quarter before succumbing to some clutch outside shooting from Perth’s Jesse Wagstaff, whose three triples in the period were each a dagger to the heart of a ballclub that showed plenty of guts and fortitude in the face of very trying circumstances.
Interim head coach Tim Hudson, who replaced Ian ‘Moose’ Robilliard in one of the most significant changes this organisation has ever been involved with, did a great job with this team despite being thrown to the wolves in his senior coaching debut.
Tim was almost in tears at the post match press conference as he talked about the pride he felt for his players for their effort in launching a comeback against a great team that just fell short in the end.
“I am tremendously proud of this team,” he said.
“With this emotional rollercoaster that’s gone on this week, and I certainly didn’t want to become a head coach in these kind of circumstances, but in saying that, the guys handled this week phenomenally well. They really bought in, got right behind me, got right behind Moose and right behind the club.”
“It was a really emotional time in the locker room before the game, and to be in that situation, for the guys to play through that, then come out and play the way they did after halftime, against a team that’s arguably the best team in the league, to play their guts out all night, well, I thought that was absolutely admirable.”
“They should be proud of themselves, and I’m nothing but proud of them. I’m pretty sure Moose would be sitting at home thinking they did a hell of a job.”
There is no more hostile environment in the National Basketball League than Perth’s Challenge Stadium, and while the team may have lost, they went down fighting and showed the kind of pride this franchise has been renowned for since 1988.
The loss all but put paid to any remaining chances of the Kings making the playoffs, but the team showed they are going to play this season out right to the end with nothing less than absolute commitment to each other, the club and its great fans.
Wagstaff led Perth with 25 points and eight rebounds on six of nine shooting from the field, and he was ably supported by Kevin Lisch, who finished with 19 points and was a tough cover all night. The Wildcats also got ten points from Luke Nevill, and seven points, six rebounds and four assists from their inspirational leader Damian Martin.
The Kings committed 24 turnovers, many in a Wildcat second quarter onslaught that saw them outscore Sydney 36-20, and they were outrebounded by Perth 45-38, but there was still plenty to take away from the night. Anatoly Bose had 16 points and six rebounds, Jerai Grant finished with 12 points and nine rebounds including an incredible dunk, which was one of the best this writer has ever seen and will be talked about for years to come by those who witnessed it, and Ben Madgen had ten points and five boards despite the effects of a painful injury to his shooting hand.
Both teams were ice cold early, missing six straight shots between them, and Sydney’s defence was causing Perth all kinds of problems with its energy and intensity. It took almost three minutes for the first field goal – a strong move by Grant – before Nevill jammed one home for the Wildcats to tie the game at three.
Madgen made himself public enemy number one when he knocked down Lisch when fighting for the ball, an action that earned him instant hatred from the Perth fanatics, but the Kings were dealing with the Wildcat pressure pretty well for the most part early on.
The Cats missed nine of their first eleven field goals thanks to some tenacious Sydney D, and although Wagstaff got untracked offensively with a three pointer, the Kings were still in touch midway through the first quarter down 10-7.
Lisch nailed a trey after a Kings turnover, but the Wildcats suffered a blow when key big man Matt Knight appeared to have wrenched his shoulder and was taken out of the game. However, Perth shook it off, and another score from Nevill, whose size was causing Sydney problems, made it a 15-7 ballgame with less than three minutes remaining in the opening period.
Still, the Kings hung tough as Grant swished a long range deuce and Alex Gynes fought hard for a baseline jumper, before Nevill had a three point play to extend the margin back out to eight with a minute to go.
But Anatoly Bose stepped up, finding Gynes with a great pass for the bucket, and then swished a nerveless three point bomb to cut the Wildcat lead to just two, 18-16, at the first break.
Knight returned to the cheers of the crowd as the second quarter got underway, and hit a baseline jumper with his first touch as Perth ramped up the intensity and forced the Kings into multiple errors.
On three straight possessions the purple and gold couldn’t get the ball over the halfway line in the face of massive Wildcat pressure, and the home team capitalised with a devastating 10-0 run that pushed the lead to 28-16 in just two minutes.
Gynes rattled home a three to temporarily stop the bleeding, but the Wildcats kept pouring it on, and a 9-0 Perth run blew the margin out to 18, 37-19, midway through the period.
Luke Cooper hit a pair of long range baskets to stop the game from getting completely out of hand, but Lisch exploded for Perth with five points of his own to make it a 20 point ballgame, 48-28, with two minutes left till intermission.
Bose responded with a tough three point play under all kinds of pressure, but Lisch was in total attack mode and responded with a three point play of his own to keep the lead at 20. At that point you wondered if Perth were going to completely blow the game apart.
The difference was 21 when Lisch made one of two from the line, but Luke Martin up-faked and drained a three at the buzzer to make it a 54-36 Wildcat lead at the half.
Perth’s 36-20 quarter and Sydney’s 14 first half turnovers had well and truly set the Kings back on their heels, and if the purple and gold were going to make a comeback it was imperative they took better care of the basketball.
A pair of early turnovers looked grim for the visitors but the Wildcats failed to capitalise, missing their opening five shots, and a three point play from Bose followed by a free throw from Grant and a big trey from Madgen suddenly made it an 11 point game and the Kings were back in it.
It took Perth more than three minutes to post their first score of the half – a three to Wagstaff – but Grant swished a baseline jumper and then pulled off one of the most spectacular athletic plays ever seen in the NBL, literally jumping over the 6’7” Wagstaff to slam home an alley-oop pass from Luke Cooper.
It was an extraordinary effort, and it energised the purple and gold as they incredibly ate further into the Wildcat lead.
Grant went hard to the basket for his third consecutive score, Madgen pulled up for two in transition, and when Jerai hit one of two free throws, Sydney had remarkably cut the lead to just five, 57-52, with four minutes left on the back of a 9-0 run as Perth were held without a field goal for over four minutes.
Perth bench players Drew Williamson and Greg Hire hit long range shots to temporarily provide relief to the Wildcat fanatics, but Luke Martin turned on the jets to aggressively go hard to the rack for the three point play, Tom Wright scored his first two points in the NBL from the charity stripe, and although Brad Robbins had a layup with seconds remaining, the Kings showed unbelievable heart in the third period to reduce a massive Wildcat lead to just six at the final change, 64-58, on the back of a stunning 22-10 quarter.
Were the Kings about to pull off the impossible? It would take every bit of energy and courage they had, and Luke Martin nailed a massive three point bomb in the opening minute of the final period to cut the margin to just three.
Julian Khazzouh hit a hook shot over Nevill, and suddenly it was Perth 65, Sydney 63 and the upset of the season was brewing.
But Perth showed why they are so tough to beat in their own building. Damian Martin hit a big three to calm the Wildcat nerves, and when Jesse Wagstaff swished another long range bomb, the home team had extended the margin to eight, 73-65, with just under seven minutes left, forcing Coach Hudson to burn a timeout.
Matt Knight then knocked down a jumper to push the Wildcat lead into double figures midway through the quarter, and Sydney’s task suddenly looked very difficult, especially when Wagstaff continued his hot streak with yet another three pointer to make it 78-65 Wildcats with four minutes remaining.
That 12-0 run was finally answered by an offensive board and put-back by Madgen, but Wagstaff showed why he is becoming an elite player in this league with another perimeter bomb – his third of the period – and when Knight snuck inside for the deuce the game was done with just under three minutes left.
To their credit, the Kings never gave up, and went hard right to the final whistle, but they were just overpowered in the end by one of the best teams in the league in their own building. However, it was a performance that Sydney fans could be proud of. Under incredible adversity, the team bonded together and played with enormous character.
To a man, they showed that for this storied franchise there are definitely better days ahead. Bring on Townsville next week at the Kingdome.
