A dogfight between the Taoyuan Pauian Pilots and the Taipei Fubon Braves came down to the wire in Taoyuan on Sunday before the Pilots edged the back-to-back P.LEAGUE+ (PLG) defending champion 83-80 and snapped their eight-game winning streak.
In what is turning into one of the league's best rivalries, the Pilots' Jason Washburn scored the game winner when he put in an offensive rebound with 15 seconds left to give his team an 81-80 lead.
The Braves got off two hurried shots in the final 10 seconds, missing both, before Mayaw Chang (???) was fouled and made two free throws to put the Pilots up 83-80 with 2 seconds left.
A desperation fling from half-court by the Braves' Winston Tsai (???) hit the backboard but fell away, sealing the Pilots' win.
The Taoyuan club improved to 15-8 and moved into second place in the PLG, ahead of the Braves, who fell to 15-9. The New Taipei Kings hold the league lead at 16-5.
Washburn, who poured in a game-high 24 points and grabbed six rebounds off the bench, said the ending was just "poetic."
"After what happened last week, it's kinda poetic, poetic justice that I got to get that last shot that put us ahead. And my whole team fought hard man, we gave it our all. It was a collective team effort, especially defensively," Washburn said.
On Feb. 19 at the Taipei Heping Basketball Gymnasium, Washburn threw up a long jumper that would have tied the game against the Braves and forced it into overtime, but it was an airball, giving the Braves an 86-84 win.
There was plenty on the line Sunday for the Pilots in a rivalry that has taken on a definitive edge.
Taipei Fubon ended the Pilots' league-record 10-game winning streak earlier this season, and the Pilots were eager to get back on track after going 3-5 (including 0-3 against the Braves) since the streak came to an end.
The testiness between the clubs was on full display Sunday, when they were called for a combined 59 fouls, the most of any PLG game this season.
Also noteworthy was the resurgence of Pilots' star Justin Lu (???), the league's leading scorer among local players, who contributed 16 points, five dimes, four boards and three steals.
The 25-year-old phenom has had a rough record against the Braves thanks to their rugged defender Jet Chang (???).
Lu had a lower field goal percentage, three-point shooting percentage and points per game average against the Braves than any other PLG team, but his persistence has paid off.
In the last two games against the Taipei club, Lu has averaged 18.5 points on 50 percent shooting, both above his season averages. On Sunday, he also extended his record for consecutive games scoring double digits by a local player to 17.
Though the Pilots won Sunday, they did not get the final word. The two teams still play each other three times in the regular season, and there will be plenty on the line as the playoffs approach.
Source: Focus Taiwan News Channel