A fluke shot from Geraldton Buccaneers veteran Mathew Wundenberg has scored the local team a victory against Rockingham Flames.
Key points:
- Geraldton Buccaneers beat Rockingham Flames in the NBL1
- Veteran player Mat Wundenberg won the game with a fluke shot on the siren
- Wundenberg threw the ball from three-quarters down the court from the ring in the dying seconds
The Buccaneers began the fourth quarter with a six-point lead before the Rockingham Flames fought back to sit tied on 82 points in the final minute.
With just seconds to spare, 36-year-old Mat Wundenberg hurled the ball towards his side’s basket, three quarters of the way down the court from the ring, and scored an unlikely three points.
Coach of the Geraldton Buccaneers, Dayle Joseph, said he had never experienced anything like it.
“It was a pretty remarkable finish,” Joseph said.
“Those sort of shots you watch on facebook or YouTube … but to be amongst that and on the team that throws up a winning shot on the buzzer was pretty awesome.”
Shooting ‘not a strength’
The player behind the thriller has played more than 430 games, but Joseph said Wundenberg was not known for his three-point scores.
The team occasionally practiced shots from half court, but Wundenberg said it was total fluke.
“Shooting’s definitely not one of my strengths,” Wundenberg said.
“It was definitely a fluke, definitely nothing that’s been practiced, and probably won’t happen again either.”
Supplied: Geraldton Buccaneers Basketball Club
)Controversial ending to a close game
There had been conjecture over whether the ball made the basket before or after the final siren, however the game umpire counted the score.
“It was touch-and-go,” Wundenberg said.
The unexpected shot ended what had been described as an “emotional” night for the home side, with Buccaneers legend Aaron Ralph suiting up for his 400th game and the side’s banner being unveiled.
“There was a bit of emotion there and for that to happen at the end was amazing,” Joseph said.
