Manchester Basketball fell just short of European glory, losing the European North Basketball League final to Polish side Dziki Warszawa 109-97.

Max Jones put in a heroic effort, leading the game with 36 points, scoring 12 in the fourth to spark a late attempted comeback. From start to finish, Jones was the best player on the court, draining four threes and going 14-15 from the foul line.

Pjay Smith had 19, scoring a string of baskets late to keep Manchester’s hopes of silverware alive, and DJ Mitchell had a double-double with 14 points and 10 rebounds.

But these performances weren’t enough to win the Club’s first European final, as they ran into a Dziki offence firing on all cylinders. Manchester’s opponents scored 37 in the second quarter to flip Manchester’s early lead, and despite their efforts to climb back into it, Dziki held on for the win.

That ends an historic European run for Manchester, who have made a strong showing of themselves on the continent all season.

Signs were strong early, as Manchester showed no signs of jitters from the jump. They immediately began a three-point barrage, jumping out to an 11-3 lead through three minutes. Matt Nicholson set the tone of the other end with an emphatic block at the rim.

The team had four threes in the opening quarter, two from Jones' hands.

Dziki battled back, tying it at 18 with a fervent run highlighted by a monster alley-oop thrown down by Bennett Vander Plas. Manchester steadied the ship as the clock ticked down, leading by three after one.

The start of the second told a similar story. Jones continued to dominate, bringing his tally to 14. Manchester built a lead, and Dziki pegged them back.

The game was played at an electric pace, and Dziki were the beneficiaries, taking their first real lead. But Manchester dug deep to stay in the game, making frequent trips to the foul line.

Jones made a tough and-one play to stem the tide. He had 22 in a red-hot first half. But Manchester trailed 60-51 going into the interval, in need of a comeback.
Manchester Basketball fall short of a fourth-quarter comeback

It was Dziki who found the better form out of the break, building their lead to 15 points by halfway through the third. Manchester couldn’t land the three-point bombs they were hitting early to chip into the deficit.

Manchester spent the third trying to click into gear, but couldn’t make any inroads. Thankfully, they didn’t lose too much ground either, and Zak Irvin’s layup to end the period made it 83-69 entering the final stanza.

Jones entered the fourth with a look in his eye. He scored eight quick points to start the final period, and Manchester cut the difference to 11.

Suddenly, momentum swung in Manchester's corner, and they were charging back into the tie. Smith drove to midrange and hit a jumper to make it a single-digit game. Dziki timeout.

The break in play did enough to halt Manchester's progress, but they kept knocking on the door. Jordan Johnson’s three came inches from dropping, but instead it teased the bottom of the bucket and lipped out.

Manchester chipped away at the deficit from the foul line, cutting it to an eight-point deficit. In the end, they ran out of clock in the fourth, falling just a game short in this incredible European run.

Max Jones and DJ Mitchell were named in the ENBL Allstar 5, with captain Zak Irvin presented with the Silver Medal trophy.