Manchester Basketball won a thriller on the road against their local rivals, the Cheshire Phoenix, 98-99.

Max 'KILLA' Jones won it, draining a three as the buzzer sounded to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat. That was for a 30-point night, as the young American continues to light up the league in 2026.

The game was a classic, in every sense of the word. Patrick Robinson thought he’d won it for the Phoenix after hitting a go-ahead layup with 2.7 seconds remaining, before Jones silenced the Cheshire crowd with his fourth made three of the night.

It felt like the game was always coming down to this. The biggest lead either team had in the final five minutes was three points. There were six lead changes in the fourth quarter as the sides traded clutch bucket after clutch bucket down the stretch.

And in the final minute, Cheshire and Manchester swung for the fences, not missing a shot attempt in the final minute of play. Pjay Smith, who finished the game with 19 points, tied it up with 35 seconds to go in a crucial moment. A missed shot there could have ended the game early.

Tim Adetukasi, Kaiyem Cleary and Kyle Carey all played their part in the fourth quarter with key buckets. Adetukasi tied the game with just over a minute remaining, Cleary scored five straight points to turn the tide midway through the period, and Carey’s three was crucial to keeping the game in a deadlock.

But Jones got the win over the line with an emphatic 12-point fourth quarter, catching a hot hand late as he has done so many times throughout this season.

The win was pivotal for Manchester, who improved to above .500 in the Super League Basketball Championship at 9-8.

Manchester return home to the National Basketball Performance Centre on Sunday, February 8. They play the Caledonia Gladiators in league action, with the game starting at 3pm.

You can get your tickets here!

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