JackJumpers secure fourth place with big win in the 'Gong

The Tasmania JackJumpers have confirmed fourth position and a double chance to reach the semi finals with a thumping 87-63 win in Wollongong on Saturday night over the Illawarra Hawks but could have suffered a cruel injury blow.

The JackJumpers just needed to win at WIN Entertainment Centre to close the regular season against the Hawks to not only secure a spot in the playoffs, but fourth position and to earn a double chance.

Tasmania ended up getting just what they needed with the 24-point win but a nasty blow to the face of Josh Magette will give them a nervous wait. His cheek quickly swelled up and the early diagnosis was a potential fractured cheekbone.

The JackJumpers still had all the answers for the bottom placed Hawks who couldn’t quite lift for one last performance for a horror season at home in the farewell appearance of 374-game veteran and club MVP Tim Coenraad.

A 14-0 run in the first quarter saw the JackJumpers break the game open before they went into half-time leading by 11 having held Illawarra to just the one assist. There was no let up from Tasmania with the lead growing to 21 by three quarter-time before winning by 24.

The JackJumpers finish the regular season with a 16-12 record to be guaranteed fourth position. They will play now either the Cairns Taipans or New Zealand Breakers in a play-in game. 

A win and they are straight into the semi finals or a loss and they get another chance against the winner of the fifth versus sixth match up.

Milton Doyle capped off his outstanding regular season for Tasmania with 20 points, 10 assists and eight rebounds to strengthen his case for a spot in the All-First Team.

Jack McVeigh added 14 points, three rebounds, three assists and two steals, Will Magnay 13 points and three boards, and Fabijan Krslovic 12 points and nine rebounds.

JackJumpers coach Scott Roth was rightfully proud of his team for winning to lock in fourth spot, but is also concerned over the facial injury to Magette.

"I'm super, super proud of this group. No one in their right mind again thought we could ever finish in the top four," Roth said. 

"We proved a lot of naysayers again wrong and just with the grit and grind, defend island mentality. With our togetherness and going through our process, we didn’t walk into it, we earned it. 

"I'm really proud of this group and our staff, and everyone involved with it. It was a hell of a win on the road anywhere you go and these guys have been playing great. 

"It was a quite dangerous game and it's ended up quite costly for us with Jet (Magette) in some serious pain, and it's probably not going to be a good outcome for him. 

"We're just hoping to rally around him and support him the best we can, but I'm proud of the whole organisation with everything we've been doing. To win 16 games in this league is no joke and our guys earned their way through, and I'm quite proud of them."

Davo Hickey got the start again for Illawarra and capitalised with a three-point play to start the contest and it was a strong opening by the Hawks with a 7-4 lead after Sam Froling and Deng Deng got going.

The JackJumpers fired up knowing what was at stake with the game's next 14 points including three-pointers from Jack McVeigh and Josh Magette, and a monster dunk from Will Magnay over Deng.

That saw Tasmania lead 18-7 and they were still on top 25-15 by quarter-time having kept the Hawks assist-less and to shooting 6/17 from the field and 1/7 from deep while the JackJumpers shot at 55 per cent with seven dimes.

Tyler Harvey and Deng kept the Hawks within touch with strong starts to the second quarter before Akoldah Gak finished at the rim as well. Tasmania, though, kept on top and held a double-figure lead most of the way into half-time.

The JackJumpers went into the break leading 46-35 with McVeigh producing 11 of those points while as a team they were still shooting 51 per cent from the floor with 10 assists. The Hawks had just one assist and shot 42 per cent.

A couple of threes early in the third quarter from Milton Doyle pushed Tasmania's lead out to 17 points, and soon after another 7-0 run pushed the lead out to 22 for the JackJumpers despite losing Magette to a potentially fractured cheekbone.

Tasmania was in control leading 68-47 at three quarter-time with the lead ballooning to 28 during the fourth quarter. However, retiring Hawks great Tim Coenraad did close his career with a couple of three-pointers before the JackJumpers went on to win by 24.

HUNGRY JACK'S NBL ROUND 18

TASMANIA JACKJUMPERS 87 (Doyle 20, McVeigh 14, Magnay 13)

ILLAWARRA HAWKS 63 (Harvey 13, Froling 12, Grida 9) 

BOX SCORE