AN incredible last-second bucket from Jordair Jett saw Illawarra claim a remarkable 87-86 road win over Adelaide on Sunday.
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Jett was outstanding for the Hawks, finishing with 16 points, six rebounds and five assists from the bench, but it was his final drive to the cup that stole the show.
It came just moments after he squandered a chance to level the scores with 38 seconds remaining, going one of two from the foul-line with his side trailing 86-84. The one ultimately proved crucial as the Hawks earned a stop at the other end to hand him the chance to atone on the final play.
He delivered, sealing the win and capping a potentially season-turning road double following their defeat of the Taipans in Cairns on Friday night.
Jett proved the clutch man but he was far from the only contributor, with Todd Blanchfield dropping five of his 10 points inside the final 90 seconds, while Dave Andersen (11), AJ Ogilvy (10) and Brian Conklin (10) were the other Hawks in double figures.
The Hawks trailed for all but a handful of moments in the game as Nathan Sobey led the way for the hosts with 24 points, though import Jacob Wiley (14) was the only other 36er to crack double digits.
It thrusts Rob Beveridge's men right back into the playoffs picture, leaving them at 6-7 for the season and nipping at the heels of fourth-placed Brisbane after their upset win over defending champs Melbourne on Saturday.
Things looked ominous early on as the hosts opened the match with a 12-2 run with Sobey grabbing a pair of triples and forcing Beveridge into an early timeout.
Cedric Jackson turned things for his side with a steal and an and-one play, while Blanchfield and Coenraad had big threes on a 20-8 run to close the term and remarkably lead by one at the first break.
Adelaide back-up guard Adam Doyle had a blazing nine-point cameo in the second, including two threes, as the lead shot back out to 10. Conklin and Ogilvy kept the side in from the line and a monster three from Kevin White and a late tip-in from Ogilvy saw the Hawks trail by six at the main break.
A three from Anthony Drmic gave Adelaide a six-point cushion early in the third with the hosts spending the remainder of the term in the bonus as Sobey, Majok Deng, Harry Froling and Demetrius Conger all made trips to the line.
A tip-in from Froling saw the lead go out to double figures but a three from Daniel Grida and mid-ranger from Andersen cut it back to seven at the final break. Sobey had a deep two and two more from the line to push the gap back out to six in the fourth but a crucial three from Hawks youngster Marshall Nelson kept it a single-score game.
Daniel Johnson and Drmic both added four more points for a seven-point cushion before a lay-up and a deep three from Blanchfield cut it back to two with a minute to play. Jett went one of two with 38 seconds remaining before sealing the deal on the buzzer with his next possession.