What was that again about slippery banana skins on the other side of the Manawatu Gorge?
"Maybe it is the gorge, eh?" a laughing Breakers Manawatu Jets coach Darron Larsen said from Palmerston North after his men upset IMS Payroll Hawks 88-84 tonight, ending the visitors' eight-match winning streak.
On a serious note, Larsen felt it was "like history repeating itself" when the neighbours go to war on the Bartercard National Basketball League (NBL) patch of contention.
Table-topping Hawks would have secured the minor premiership crown had captain Paora Winitana and his men grounded the Jets but it was yet another defeat for the visitors at Arena Manawatu.
Jets skipper Jeremiah Trueman and his troops had other ideas.
They won every quarter - 20-19, 44-40 (24-21), 65-59 (21-19) - bar the last one, 23-25.
"We seem to split the games in the end so that's the tale of the tape," Larsen said after a rash of losses for the Hawks in Palmy.
"I remember in 2009 we were pretty good with the Hawks, expecting to beat the Jets here," said the man who was assistant to 2006 NBL title-winning Hawks coach Shawn Dennis.
Larsen said the Jets were more aggressive going for the hoop with forward Paul Jones, claiming a match-high 29points, and fellow import point guard Brendon Jenkins paving the way.
Ex-Hawk Alonzo Burton, son of ex-Hawks/Jets stalwart Willie Burton, of the Bay, was also a vital cog in the wheel with 11 points.
"We beat Otago Nuggets and the Hawks with Nick Horvath back so we're more complete with a solid three-point rotation," Larsen said, emphasising the Jets were in early foul trouble ith Jenkins, managing him in every quarter.
Horvarth claimed a double-double, scoring 13 points and 15 rebounds.
Winitana had a chance to level the scores in the dying seconds with a three-pointer but elected to drive up the lane only to concede a foul.
Putting it down to "one of things", Hawks coach Tab Baldwin lauded the Jets but felt his men could have played better.
"We put in a good effort to fight hard but we couldn't get on top of them," said Baldwin whose troops have already secured a playoff berth in the Final Four in Wellington early next month.
However, the five-time NBL title-winning coach said they could not dwell on the Jets and had to channel their collective energy into the Zerofees Southland Sharks tomorrow night in Napier in the double header.
Winitana won't be available because of his religious beliefs.
Compounding the pressure is the Paul Henare's Sharks have succumbed 97-94 to the James Blond Supercity Rangers in Auckland tonight, meaning the Hawks retain their buffer from the second-placed defending champions on the table.
"Its a tough loss for them [Sharks] and they'll be fighting for their playoff lives so we'll be in for a dogfight tomorrow night at home," Baldwin said.
The game tips off at 7pm at the Pettigrew-Green Arena, Taradale, where the Hawks have yet to lose a home game and are "seven and oh".
While the Hawks could have secured minor premier bragging rights, Baldwin said that would have to wait.
"We can kill two birds with one stone against the Sharks -- keep our home record intact and claim the minor premiership title."
Everard Bartlett scored 20 points, US import Dustin Scott added 18 plus nine rebounds while Kareem Johnson claimed another doulble-double of 12 points and 10 rebounds.
Point guard Jarrod Kenny scored 13 points and made six assists.