The passionate Otago Nuggets captain’s arms waved in the air with a newfound energy, after watching team-mate Michael Harris nail a much needed three pointer to put the home team back in front.
Moments later, Todd Withers picked up a ball, flicked it off to JaQuori McLaughlin, who in turn flicked it back to Withers, to finish with a massive dunk.
As a primal scream came from the big man as he drew the foul, the home crowd roared in support and it was then you got the feeling the Nuggets were on the way to something special.
They beat the Southland Sharks 76-68 at the Edgar Centre tonight in an electric southern derby.
After being down by 10 early in the third quarter, the home side ran rings around the Sharks for the rest of the quarter and clawed its way back to lead 56-48 at the break.
Nothing went right for the visitors in the third spell, whether it be a missed pass, soft rebound, or the most telling, only putting up eight shots to the Nuggets' 24.
That set the foundation for a big final quarter and the Nuggets picked up its second straight win to start the season.
The Southland Sharks closed the gap to within one late in the fourth.
But McLaughlin took the shot and drew the foul to put the Nuggets back up by three.
Soon Darcy Knox drilled a massive three - met with a bear hug from coach Brent Matehaere and team-mates - to give the Nuggets a seven goal lead with three minutes to go.
McLaughlin put in a big shift scoring 25 points, while Timmins was huge on defence with 10 rebounds.
Sharks captain Jeremy Kendle was best for the visitors with 27 points.
It was a game of momentum shifts, with the Nuggets humming early.
But once the Sharks clicked into gear, they were hard to stop.
There was more cohesion from the Southlanders and they took control through the middle part of the period.
But McLaughlin drained a couple of three-pointers late in the piece for the home side to lead 20-16 at the break.
That momentum from the first quarter was missing for the Nuggets in the second.
They gave too much space on defence, Kendle stealing the show, shifting his team into another gear and scoring buckets from all over.
But the Nuggets were their own worst enemy, with minimal shots dropping in the first five minutes and finishing with a 24-12 quarter.
Harris had a massive block and managed to tip it back into his team-mates while falling out of court, but they squandered it at the other end of the court.
The home side started to come right near the end of the quarter but trailed 40-32 at halftime.
They now hit the road for their first home game of the season against the Taranaki Airs on Saturday.
In the other games, Franklin Bulls beat the Wellington Saints 92-86 on Thursday to start the round.
The Auckland Tuatara thumped the Taranaki Airs 80-55, but the Airs bounced back to beat the Hawke’s Bay Hawks 95-93.
The Bulls also beat the Nelson Giants on Saturday night, while the Manawatu Jets won 90-86 against the Canterbury Rams yesterday afternoon.
