Posted on 4 May, 2017

“We got our processes right and guys really stepped up,” Cobras Head Coach Justin Schueller said.

“I’m just really proud of all the guys.”

After a strong finish inside by Cobras big man Chris Patton put Kilsyth ahead, 68-64 early in the fourth quarter, the Chargers duo of Mathiang Muo and import Rob Heyer went to work, almost singlehandedly willing Hobart to victory late. Back to back jumpers by Muo gave the Chargers a one point lead with just over six minutes remaining, starting an incredible back-and-forth struggle that would keep the home crowd on the edge of their seats.

Meyer responded with a deep three and then former Cobra Tiri Masunda added a layup to put Hobart up, 74-70, but Kilsyth countered with another Patton bucket and a contested 3-pointer from guard Gabe Hadley to give the Cobras a one point lead. Muo kept the three-point barrage going with another deep bomb, but Hadley again struck back with a right wing three to give the Cobras a 79-77 lead with 90 seconds remaining.

The incredible clutch shooting by both teams was far from over, though, as Meyer buried his eighth three-pointer of the game – this one from six feet beyond the arc – to reclaim the lead for the Chargers. Patton missed out of the ensuing timeout, and Meyer was fouled, giving him a chance to Hobart ahead by three. But Meyer spilt the free throws, and Nelson Kirksey raced coast-to-coast to tie the game on a layup with one second remaining.

Muo found space for a potential game winner as time expired, but his shot was emphatically blocked by Owen Odigie as the game headed into overtime.

The Chargers got off to a strong start to begin the extra session, with a Chris Whitehead layup putting Hobart ahead, 88-83 with 1:39 remaining. Patton and Whitehead spilt pairs of free throws on the next two possessions, to keep the Cobras deficit at five, but Josh Kunen responded with his first career three-pointer to trim the Charger lead to 89-87. Kilsyth then forced a key stop and Kirksey again got out in the open court, drawing a foul at the rim and burying a pair of free throws to tie the game.

Both groups followed with empty possessions, sending the game into a second overtime period.

The Cobras locked down on the defensive end during the second extra session, holding Hobart to a single made field goal as they ran away with the game late. Kirksey started off with a pair of impressive buckets, putting Kilsyth ahead by four, and then Kunen drew a loose ball foul and drained a pair from the line to give the Cobras a 97-91 lead. Hadley went 4-for-4 from the stripe in final minute to seal the game, giving Kilsyth their most impressive victory of the season.

The Cobras bounce-back performance can be attributed to Schueller’s lineup adjustments, with the first year head coach turning to his youth to help give Kilsyth a spark. Hadley earned his first start of the season in place of veteran Tariq Naqqash, and the results worked wonders for both players.

“Bringing Gabe into the starting lineup was a key for us, he is a real talent and showed why we have so much faith in him,” Schueller said.

“Nelson (Kirksey) starting at point really give us a dynamic look as well.”

Schueller also turned to the 16-year old Kunen early as well, with the athletic forward making an immediate impact and playing well beyond his years in crunch time. With Auryn Macmillan fouling out, Kunen played key minutes down the stretch, with his defence and rebounding helping the Cobras pull away late.

“Josh had a great week in practice and deserved more opportunity, and he really made the most of his chance and was a big reason for our win,” Schueller said.

“He is a talented kid; talent is talent, regardless of age.”

Kunen finished with 12 points and nine rebounds off the bench in his first meaningful SEABL minutes, while Hadley recorded a career-high 21 points and buried five three-pointers. Patton stuffed the stat sheet with 18 points, 12 rebounds and five assists, Odigie added 15 points, seven rebounds and three assists, and Kirksey’s clutch play saw him finish the game with 11 points. Naqqash and Desmond Owili were also big off the bench, with Naqqash scoring eight points and Owili adding seven points and seven rebounds in limited minutes.

After a dream start to the season, the Cobras had stumbled of late, with two of their past three losses going down to the wire. Schueller was thrilled with his teams ability to not only bounce back from adversity, but figure out a way to win a close game against one of the league’s best teams.

“It’s a great reward for the team as a whole; being able to get it done in double overtime is a great character builder,” Schueller added.

“We have had a couple close loses of late, so it was great to be able to stick with what we wanted to do and get the desired result.”

The Cobras return home this Sunday as they host Canberra on ‘Kids Day’. All kids 12 and under receive FREE ENTRY to Sunday’s Doubleheader, which tips-off at 12pm with the Women, followed by the Men at 2pm.