The Thunderbolts’ State League Division 1 season has come to a heartbreaking end with Tamworth going down by one-point to Bankstown in the grand final.
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The match was up for grabs right up until the final second as the Bolts desperately tried to draw things level.
With seconds remaining, Chris Skilton – who had a huge game for the Bolts – took a last ditch shot from outside the perimeter to equalise but was off target.
The Bolts drew a foul from the rebound to give Justin Leehy two free throws – which he drained – but it wasn’t enough as Tamworth went down 77-76.
While the Thunderbolts didn’t get the chocolates, their effort could not be faulted.
Heading into the game, Skilton said finals matches came down to who wanted it more and it was evident just how much the Tamworth side wanted it.
The desire to win was perfectly summed up by Max Chillingworth who threw his body around all game including a diving steal in the final quarter with just over a minute on the clock which gave Tamworth possession.
After trailing by over 10 points at one stage, the Bolts charged home in the back end of the first quarter and took the hot form into the second quarter.
Tamworth led by five points at half-time and held a one-point lead going into the final term.
Bankstown got out to a five-point lead during the final quarter before the Thunderbolts hit back to fall just short.
Rhys Chillingworth was everywhere for Tamworth with key rebounds and also top-scored for the Bolts with 19 points while Scott McGann was next best with 15 points.
Bankstown’s Luke Davies (22 points) and William Lopez (20 points) proved hard to stop.