Turnover-plagued Adelaide 36ers hand last-gasp win to Crocodiles in Townsville

A DIABOLICAL turnover leading to a dunk by Nick Kay last night concluded a dramatic NBL fightback by Townsville to possibly condemn Adelaide to finals spectator status this season.

NBL Round 10 match between the Townsville Crocodiles and the Adelaide 36ers at 'The Swamp'. Crocodiles Clint Steindl and 36ers Jerome Randle. Picture: Wesley Monts

THEY tried hard to lose an NBL game in Cairns a few weeks ago and failed but there was no such luck last night for the Adelaide 36ers in Townsville.

Ahead 96-81 with 4:02 left in the contest, the 36ers, once led incomparably by captain Adam Gibson but this time incompetently, produced a turnover fiasco to allow the resilient young Crocodiles to pinch victory at the siren.

With 6.5 seconds left in the contest, Adelaide still held a 100-99 lead but from coach Joey Wright’s time-out, Gibson threw an inbounds pass meant for Jerome Randle, which the taller Clint Steindl picked off.

Steindl passed the ball forward and with the Swamp in Townsville in joyous uproar, Nick Kay slam dunked the 36ers out of the game - and possibly out of the finals.

Instead of leaving Townsville to again host the Crocs tomorrow with their win-loss record back at 8-8, the 36ers now are 7-9 and staring at a wasted season.

Crocs swingman shooter Mirko Djeric, who last week achieved notoriety by frustratedly slamming a ball into the floor which flew straight up into his face, instead gave the 36ers a black eye with two threes in the last 40 seconds and three in the period.

Leading by 15 on the back of some inspirational play from Randle (28 points, seven assists), improved effort by Daniel Johnson (21 points, nine rebounds) and the erstwhile reliability of Anthony Petrie (17 points, nine rebounds), the 36ers were routed 20-4 over the final four minutes.

Mitch Creek drives against the Crocodiles. Picture: Wesley Monts

Steindl started the run with a tough jumpshot, Adelaide turned over the inbounds pass and Mitch Norton scrapped hard on the floor to see the ball go to Kay for a back-up bucket.

A sloppy turnover from Gibson gave Norton a lay-up and with 2:28 left it now was 96-87.

Another Adelaide offence came up empty as Djeric hit a triple and Wright took time-out.

Randle drove to make it 98-90 but Steindl hit a three over Johnson, Gibson looked as if he was playing for a foul instead of converting a lay-up and Djeric hit the first of back-to-back threes, split by two Randle free throws.

At 99-100, all Adelaide had to do was get the ball in safely but Gibson, having a shocker, could not see beyond Townsville’s desperate defence, the Crocs simply “out-toughing” the 36ers for a sizzling win, Jordair Jett with 21 points leading the assault.

TOWNSVILLE CROCODILES 101 (Jett 21, Kay 19, Steindl 15, Djeric 12, Norton 11, Samhan 10) d ADELAIDE 36ERS 100 (Randle 28, Johnson 21, Petrie 17, Creek 14) at The Swamp, Townsville.

Originally published as Turnover-plagued Adelaide 36ers hand last-gasp win to Crocodiles in Townsville