Ansett captain Matty Hunt ‘lets it fly’ in MVP performance to win 2021 DBL Grand Final, Kylie Duggan leads Tracy Village to another title v Uni Rebels
‘You’ve just got to let it fly’ was Ansett captain Matty Hunt’s motto going into the DBL final. And he did just that. Also read how Tracy Village captured yet another women’s title HERE.
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YOU’VE just got to let it fly’ was Blues captain Matty Hunt’s motto going into the 2021 Darwin Basketball League Final on Friday night.
And with the veteran team leader bringing his game face, he lifted all his Ansett teammates to dizzy heights, Hunt a worthy MVP in his side’s victory over Palmerston in the title decider.
At long last, Ansett can now celebrate its first top-league men’s title since 2016, after beating the Power 71-67. Some will argue five years without a title is not a long time.
But Ansett went into this season still smarting after bowing out in the semi-final stage last year with a team many thought was good enough to win the 2020 championship.
Hunt’s teammates were not going to slip up again, even when Friday night’s game got tight in the fourth quarter.
“That was when Anthony Rowse (11 points with two three-pointers) hit a big three and iced the game for us,” Hunt said.
In the lead-up to Friday night’s final, Hunt said he thrived off the energy of his young teammates, playing in a largely under-23 outfit.
But the 33-year-old stepped up and proved once again that he is one of the best guards in Darwin.
He finished with an impressive 26 points, hitting three of five from beyond the three-point arc.
“I have a pretty unconventional shot, but everyone’s different and we can’t all shoot like Steph Curry or Klay Thompson,” Hunt said.
“I don’t practise my shooting a lot, but I did this week.
“You’ve got to do the best with what you’ve got and let it fly on game night.”
Hunt said the positive energy of his young teammates would help prolong his brilliant career.
“I didn’t know if I was going to keep playing a couple of years ago as I was getting older, but it’ll be hard to go out after something like this.
“I’m playing my basketball for the past few years.
“We’ve got such a great young group here and I want to still be involved, even if it’s coaching them in a few years.”
Nothing came easy for the minor premiers in the competition decider.
“We put in a big effort to win this one,” Hunt said.
“We looked to have it at one stage, then they came back, then we got over the line late.
“You’ve got to give credit to all the imports who have done so much for this competition, but this game was a great display of local talent.
“Hayden and Mitch Brauer, Kane Toohey and Lucas Duncan are all so young, but all made great contributions this season.
“Lachlan Shipway got in foul trouble early (before finishing with 12 points on Friday night) but he’s a bull down low.
“He’s always aggressive no matter what the game situation is.”
Shaq Hohipa-Wilson (26 points) and Tom Godwin (18) impressed for Palmerston.
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THEY will likely not go on another unprecedented run of 13 consecutive titles – we will probably never see that again.
But Tracy Village captain Kylie Duggan believes her team can create another dominant era. That was her reflection after the Jets triumphed 60-44 over Uni Rebels in the 2021 Darwin Basketball League Final on Friday night.
Duggan used all of her big-game experience to star with 15 points for the victors, fellow experienced guard Tikesa Docherty-Cole adding 13 points.
Tyla Cubillo, 18, also stood out with 12 points (two three-pointers).
The Jets’ remarkable run of 13-straight DBL titles only ended in 2018.
But they were still smarting from going three years without celebrating going into Friday night, which was the team’s 17th consecutive final.
“It’s pretty exciting. We’ve finally got the cup back,” Duggan said.
“We’re still together partying. We’ll probably do another (end-of-season) video.
“We haven’t done one for three years because we didn’t win a title in that time.
“Sometimes you have to appreciate what you achieve, and we all understand the history we’ve created.
“We’ve been through a lot of highs and lows together.”
Cubillo, Duggan’s daughter Kaylani, Jayla Thorne (four points against Uni) and Milla Hensen are exciting young talents who could take the Jets forward into another winning era. “Absolutely (Jets can go on another winning title run). Even when us older players retire we’ll pass on the strong club culture to our younger players,” Duggan said.
“No doubt, our team is in safe hands going into the future. We’ve got a lot of depth.
“It’s now about us all sticking together. Tyla played really well (against Rebels).
“We started slowly, but she stepped up when we needed her.
“Her three-pointers at the end really helped seal the game for us. She was a bit nervous stepping into her point-guard role at first, but now she’s really embracing it.”
And don’t forgot what Jets champion Docherty-Cole continues to bring to her team.
“It wasn’t a pretty game and we didn’t play at our best, but Tikesa’s experience and tempo helped secure the win,” Duggan said.
“She’s a great player and she helps me stay positive in my leadership role.
“All the girls played their roles well and I’m just so proud of them.”
Danielle Ponter (25 points) starred for Rebels.
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ANSETT’S plan to beat a more experienced Palmerston outfit in the 2021 Darwin Basketball League Final on Friday night is simple – run the older Power players off their feet.
It has worked for the Blues this season, beating their star-studded opponents all three times they’ve clashed.
“We’re pretty confident – we’ve beaten them the three times we’ve played them this season,” Ansett captain Matty Hunt said.
“But we’re also very wary of the players they have.
“We don’t expect this game to be easy and we have to be ready to play.”
Hunt is the skipper of a team laden with youth, and he thinks that he will work to its advantage, his minor premiership-winning side losing just twice during the regular season.
“We just have to grind them down slowly,” he said.
“We need to really push them and pressure them.
“We’re an under-23 team besides a few of us.
“We go deeper on our bench which will help us.
“I’m a very willing passer of the ball with the teammates I have around me.”
The last time Hunt won a championship was with his junior club Ansett back in 2016.
The team then featured star guards Freddy Webb and Jerron Jamerson, who both helped Mackay to a thrilling grand-final series win over Carins in the NBL1 North competition on the weekend.
“This is my junior club and I’ve played in the top league since I was 15 or 16,” Hunt, who has impressed with an average of 16 points per game this season, said.
“I’ll be trying for my third title. They’re not easy to win.
“But this team now has a fantastic opportunity.”
Palmerston captain Jesse Bell believes Hunt will be the man to watch for Ansett.
“He’s the key for them,” Bell said.
“Just the knowledge he brings to that team, and he’s done it for years.
“He’s a very smart and confident player.”
Bell is confident his teammates can nullify Ansett’s renowned up-tempo running game.
“We have the knowledge (to counter),” he said.
Bell, who has averaged almost 17 points per game this season, reserved special mention for the toughness of his co-captain, Tom Godwin.
“Tom has done a brilliant job. He’s very vocal and helps us all out with his talk,” Bell said of the man who has averaged almost 15 points per game.
“He always puts his body on the line, even his head when he needs to.
“If all our boys show up and are prepared to play, we’ll do well.”
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THE year 2021 has already been a memorable one for Tracy Village captain Kylie Duggan ahead of Friday night’s Darwin Basketball League final against Uni Rebels.
She had her dream come true when daughter Kaylani Duggan-Cole made her Darwin Basketball League debut alongside her in round 1, when the Jets beat three-time reigning premiers Lightning. Kaylani played a major role in helping her team to a 60-56 win, scoring 15 points with three crucial three-pointers.
Kaylani was then picked to represent Australia at the 2021 FIBA Under-15 Skills Challenge in Canberra in May.
Duggan – proud of her Nyikina and Thursday Island heritage – also notched up her 300th top-league game and it just so happened to be during the DBA Indigenous Round last month.
But she has never been one to get too caught up in past achievements.
The Jets skipper will be playing in her 17th consecutive Darwin Basketball League final – and her will to win is as strong as ever.
“For us to play in our 17th-straight grand final – we’re very proud of that and it’s very special,” she said.
“Nothing has been easy for us during that time. We’ve had to work so hard to get to this point. The club deserves credit for the premierships we’ve won (prevailing in an incredible 13-straight titles with that run stopping in 2018). We’ve made history, but this club is also about what we do off the court.
“We’re all so close and we do everything together.
“For us, Tikesa Docherty-Cole is stepping up at the right time. She’s done a lot of extra training and taken a lot of extra shots.
“And Tania Dhu plays great defence. When she’s on she’s on with her shooting, as well.
“But Rebels won’t be easy.
“(Crows AFLW star) Danielle Ponter is very dangerous and very fit for them.”
Rebels captain Chantelle Lee said her teammates won’t fear a Jets side full of DBA legends. “We’ll treat it just like another normal game,” she said.
“Hopefully we can see Ieasha Friel bring her best game, and Jaylene (Bonson-Constantine with eight points in Uni’s 67-37 win over Ansett in the preliminary final) was also very good for us. The girls really lifted for my 700th game on that night.
“We lacked motivation last time we played Jets (losing 82-53 in the major semi-final) but we bounced back against Ansett. We all said ‘we’re playing for our season so we need to go hard’ and we did that.”
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AFTER all the celebrations would down, former Ansett star Freddy had to take a moment to take in what he had just achieved.
After helping Mackay Meteors to a thrilling grand-final series win over Cairns in the NBL1 North competition, the talented guard needed time to reflect on his own. And rightfully so.
He’s come a long way since helping Ansett to a title in 2016 when he was just 17.
“I went to our stadium here in Mackay and just took it all in,” he said. “It felt like just yesterday I had just signed here and I was training by myself when I didn’t know what to expect. But I knew when I walked into this program that it would be a great team.”
Webb had support in a familiar face at Mackay – his fellow title winner at Ansett in 2016, star American Jerron Jamerson.
“Jerron is an emotional player and our coach Joel Khalu was really tough on him, which helped him,” Webb said.
“It was a blessing having Jerron here, and you saw what he did in the grand final series (winning player of the series). He’s got the game to go on to the NBL.”
Webb reflecting on his own was nothing new to the hard working 22-year-old. He was often the first one to show up to Meteors training sessions.
“It’s about making daily deposits to help yourself – this lifestyle isn’t as glamorous as it might seem,” he said.
“It’s about showing up consistently, and looking after yourself with the right diet, sleep and preparing your body well.”
It is that sort of attitude which should see Mackay sign the diminutive but tough guard.
“I want to keep working hard to put myself in a good position to play more minutes next year, Webb said.
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