Controversy has broken out ahead of the A grade club final in Dunedin this afternoon.
The City Rise Bombers and the Mid City Lions made their way through tense semifinals to book a place in what will be a unique final.
The Bombers beat the defending champions the Magic 80-75, and the Mid City Lions edged the St Kilda Saints 71-69.
It is the first time in more than 20 years that neither the Magic nor the Saints will feature in the final.
But what should have been a lovely story about the Bombers shaking off the underdog tag has been marred by drama.
They fielded an ineligible player in the semifinal.
Southland Sharks shooting guard Tom Cowie took the court and knocked down 20 points in an influential performance.
He was ineligible and has been stood down for the final, but the result of the semifinal has been allowed to stand.
Basketball Otago general manager Peter Drew said there was "confusion from the Bombers’ end as to the eligibility criteria".
"You’ve got to play a certain amount of games during the season to be eligible for the playoffs", he said.
But where the confusion comes in is there are two levels of eligibility. If a player is considered a loyal player then they only have to play three games to qualify for the playoffs.
But a player who does not qualify as a loyal player must play five games before they are eligible for the playoffs.
Cowie did not met the criteria for a loyal player and had not played five regular-season fixtures as required under the match rules.
"They believed he was eligible to play from the three games he played but he wasn’t", Drew said.
Under the match rules, the Magic needed to have filed a protest within 20 minutes of the final hooter in order for the result of the game to be challenged.
"That didn’t happen so that is the reason [the result stands]."
Controversy aside, it is the first time these teams have met in the final. Neither has won the A grade competition before.
The Lions finished the regular season second with a 10-5 record.
The Bombers finished fourth with a record of 9-6. But they have been a bogey team for the Lions, beating them all three times this season.
The Bombers are well-rounded. Nuggets duo Matthew Bardsley and Robbie Coman will be key for them, and guard Olly Smith is also influential.
The Lions have a younger crew. Skilful guard Christopher Christof is one of their best players, and Noah McDowall is a handy outside shooter, while forward Callum Chirnside is arguably the most improved player in the league this year.
