Mackay Meteors win NBL1 North premiership, overcome late deficit

Down by as much as 15 points in the last quarter, watch how Mackay turned around the grand final match against Cairns to snatch a memorable premiership victory.

The Meteors have completed a miraculous overtime victory to close out the NBL1 North finals and crown themselves 2021 champions.

Down by 10 points with just 2:30 remaining on the clock, some fans were already moving towards the exits and preparing for what would be the deciding game three on Sunday.

But captain Chris Cedar, as well as Viliami Foketi and Kye Medhurst, hit four threes in 50 seconds to get within two points.

A lay-up from Jerron Jamerson tied the match and sent the game to overtime.

Cedar said there were doubts throughout the last quarter before his team went on a run.

“I almost counted ourselves out in that fourth quarter,” he said.

“I had started prepping for tomorrow, but Kye Medhurst stepped up.”

Medhurst finished with 10 points, making 75 per cent of his three pointers.

He also grabbed eight of his 11 rebounds in the last quarter and overtime, while also playing solid defence on Cairns star Deba George.

Cedar finished with 10 points on a poor shooting night for the usually-reliable guard, but Jamerson had 24 points and 10 rebounds while also shooting nine out of his 10 free throws.

Cedar said home court advantage for the series made a significant difference.

“The crowd here is amazing,” he said.

“We lost here in 2017 so I felt like we owed the crowd one a bit.

“I don’t care how I played, we got that win in the end.”