Basketball On The Internet.

IT was a sad farewell to The Kingdome in Sydney yesterday, the Qantas Credit Union Arena (aka Sydney Entertainment Centre) finally closing its doors on basketball, but what a way to go out!

The reigning WNBL champion Townsville Fire needed superstar Suzy Batkovic to find a basket that sent the match against the Sydney Uni Flames on into overtime.

Anytime you mix Fire and Flame you have a red hot match and it finally came down to Townsville power forward Cayla George playing exemplary defence on a Hayley Moffatt inbounds to force a five-second violation as Sydney tried to fashion a last-gasp win.

Instead Townsville held on to win 79-78 in front of a huge and appreciative crowd which also enjoyed the men's game as the Kings found something special, right into the last quarter.

But in his 200th game, Jesse Wagstaff found something even more specialler (please, no grammar Nazis hitting the email, I was kidding). Not about Wagstaff's last quarter though, which included a Damian Martinesque steal/block to save a Sydney fast break, ball save and flick on to a teammate.

Then came the 3-point avalanche as Wagstaff connected on six in a row ... in the final quarter!

Wagstaff left his milestone game with a career-high 26 points and career-best six triples (6-of-9), the farewell to the Kingdome one to remember as Perth turned a one-point deficit going into the final period into an 87-69 victory.

WHAT a hell of a round it was, all around, what with Townsville's incredible come-from-behind win over Adelaide, Cairns' double-overtime win over Illawarra, Perth smashing Melbourne with Jermaine Beal putting on a show, the Rangers and Boomers barely escaping Canberra's clutches, Townsville Fire's overtime escape in Sydney.

HOLY SOBEY! Nathan Sobey with one of the dunks of the year, disallowed for an off-the-ball foul.

What more could we want?

Other than the WNBL on TV which, I'm hearing, is "imminent".

IF only the officiating was decent but it can't even be passed off as passable.

Townsville's Nick Kay, above near the far block, bear-hugging Adelaide's Anthony Petrie on the game's first play (with apologies for picture quality) is NOT a foul.

But Adam Gibson, with daylight between him and Clint Seindl (below), that apparently IS a foul.

Not for a second singling out Townsville or even the 36ers-Crocs game(s) but those are just general examples of why coaches and players are having trouble maintaining focus when consistency is a myth.

In yesterday's WNBL game in Adelaide, a local ref notable for a need to be in the spotlight, unnecessarily addressed Stars coach Shane Heal inside the game's first minute. Trust me. That wasn't an attempt to head anything off, it was an attempt to start something.

Heal wisely let it go but should anyone have to endure attitude on top of bad officiating?