– It’s absolutely incredible, so much fun. I never thought it could happen but we played absolutely incredible and played as a team and toiled for 40 minutes. It is the season’s biggest banger one hundred percent. It is the biggest thing that has happened in my career, continues a lucky Peleg who has never won in Norrköping’s hall.
With 1.44 left, Aurimas Buskevicius made a three for 87-81 for Högsbo and forced Norrköping into a timeout. It was Buskevicius’ second straight third in his first point of the game.
The end was gut-wrenching. After Norrköping, which had three players left since the spring gold team, reduced to 85-89 when there were 34 seconds left, Högsbo took a timeout. There was another timeout by Högsbo with 6.8 seconds left and an 88-91 lead.
The end was even more dramatic. At 88-91, Norrköping received two penalties. Tim Schüberg put up the first to cut the lead to 89-91 and fired the second into the ring and out, where Shane Hunter had the chance to put in a deuce to take the game to overtime but missed.
“Missed heart and intensity”
The Högsbo players celebrated wildly and jumped around with each other in a senseless celebration.
– It’s probably one of the biggest bangers in years, but there was all the pressure on them. But it’s important not to get hubris and think that we are the best in the world, says Högsbos Anes Zekovic, who previously played in Norrköping.
Norrköping tried to play down the noise.
– It was not such a big miscalculation. We came into this game with an attitude that was not high enough to win. We lacked heart and intensity. We are careless a lot and I think Högsbo plays a very good match and all teams want to play their best match here, says Norrköping’s Tim Schüberg.