BASKETBALL: Thunder's play-offs battle goes to the wire

WORTHING basketball fans became bonded ever stronger with Thunder on Saturday. At the crucial moment when solidarity was needed, the spectators recognised the team's need, also their own obligation, and took to their feet to urge the players to a hugely important 95-88 home victory over the next above them, Milton Keynes Lions.

That unity, plus a couple of favourable refereeing decisions, two nave tactical decisions by Lions, plus Evaldas Zabas' unwavering focus at the free-throw line, combined to send Thunder confidently '“ instead of merely hopefully into this coming final weekend of the regular season.

At stake when Thunder receive title-chasing Sheffield Sharks on Saturday, then go to Plymouth Raiders on Sunday, is the eighth and final play-offs spot. Worthing need to win twice to ensure Worcester Wolves, who host Plymouth on Saturday and travel to Guildford on Sunday, do not come up on the rails and steal the privilege.

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The reward would be an away knock-out tie to the BBL champions. That would be either Newcastle Eagles, whom Worthing have beaten twice here.

Or Sheffield, who have beaten Thunder home and away in the league '“ by just six and five points. And Sheffield won here in the National Cup by just one point in mid-October.

Both teams have improved since and Thunder have learned how to win tight games and develop mental strength. Often, it has been with their Lithuanian guard Zabas taking free throws at the death. This time, his unwavering form at the charity stripe again took the match from Milton Keynes.

Sheffield have met him just once, and conceded 100 points. With tighter defence, Thunder might not have conceded 105 themselves. That is Thunder's weekly challenge and the chant of "De-fence, de-fence, de-fence" on the fans lips at the crucial time down the stretch against Lions was their helpful reminder.

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Mind you, on Saturday, Zabas showed his inexperience. Having drained two free throws to give Thunder an 89-88 lead with 29 seconds left, he then watched Lions' captain Dru Spinks miss a three-pointer with only two points needed to win the game and less than 15 seconds to go. Zabas found himself with a loose rebound in his hands.

All he needed to do was dribble around the court until the final bell. But he played to the crowd, tore down court and was called for a charging foul. That gave Lions the ball and a lifeline. But with Lions still needing only two points to win, three-pointer expert Williams was targeted by Lions' set play to try an outside shot. It missed.

Lo and behold, the ball was with Zabas again and in the remaining six seconds, Lions fouled him twice, Samuel Cricelli once, and lost by seven instead of one.

Zabas said: "Since taking clutch-time free throws at high school, at this moment I don't see anything else but backboard. Everything else around me closes down. You know the ball's going to go in, even if it bounces around the rim.

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"Yes, today I shouldn't have tried so much with so little time left. But afterwards I told myself I'd rebound the next ball and make up for it."

Lions had injured guard and forward EJ Harrison and Frank Holmes out on court, if not fully fit, plus the recovering Michael New, in his final game here before retirement. Robert Youngblood was unfit to play. Here was Thunder's chance, yet, respective runs into the third and fourth quarter-breaks of 8-0 and 12-2 gave Lions the edge.

Thunder lost ground in the second quarter with their Finn, Ville Makalainen sitting down on three fouls and nil points. They trailed 44-49 at the half. Their eight-point lead at 34-26 had become a six-point deficit at 46-52. Makalainen's return in the third restored his rebounding, scoring, assisting, defence, three-point shooting and free-throw efficiency. Worthing went 65-61 up.

But Thunder still needed the referees to favour them at crunch time in the final minute. They consecutively, unexpectedly, called a charge on Harrison as he homed in for what would surely have been the kill, then Spinks for a fatal foul on Zabas that gave Thunder the lead for good at 00:29.

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Yet more cliffhanging stuff. And Zabas made his impression on two huge British basketball legends in the crowd making surprise visits from London '” all-time great club coach Kevin Cadle and his Kingston star power-forward Dan Davis. In what tremendous nick both looked.

THUNDER 95: Zabas 23pts (4-6 in 2s, 2-5 in 3d, 9-9 in frees) 6rb, *Bratton 22pts (2-8 4-9 6-6) 2rb 6ass 4stl, *Cricelli 17pts 3rb 2ass 3stl, *Prezzie-Blue 15pts (0-1 5-9 0-0) 5rb 7ass, *Makalainen 6pts 4rb 5ass 3stl, *Richard 6pts 7rb 2ass 4blk, Ivanovskis 4pts, Hildreth 2pts, Brame 0pts. DNP: Marrast, Midgley, Mitchell.

LIONS 88: Williams 20pts (4-7 4-9 0-0), Harrison 18pts 3ass, Naughton 17pts 9rb, Morris 13pts 3rb, Holmes 9pts 3rb, Spinks 6pts, New 5pts 4rb, Simon 0pts 2rb. DNP: Fontaine, Youngblood.

BBL (P W-L Pts): Newcastle 34 29-5 58; Sheffield 34 29-5 58; Glasgow 34 23-11 46; Cheshire 34 20-14 40; Leicester 35 20-15 40; Everton 34 19-15 38; Milton Keynes 34 17-17 34; Worthing 34 16 18 32; Worcester 34 16-18 32; Guildford 34 11-23 22; Plymouth 34 11-23 22; Essex 34 7-27 14; London 33 3-30 6.

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