Jack McVeigh embraced the moment and "let it fly" to drill a three-pointer on the buzzer in overtime as Tasmania rallied to beat the Taipans in Cairns.
A second period of overtime looked certain on Saturday night when Cairns star Tahjere McCall breezed to the rim to tie the game with just seconds on the clock.
But, with no timeouts remaining, the JackJumpers threw it forward and McVeigh (24 points) played hero to secure a 90-87 NBL win.
"It was good fun, I said, 'yes, I get to shoot this ... I just let it fly and can't remember what happened in the 30 seconds after that," he said of his long triple," McVeigh said.
"Fun moment in my career, for sure. They're the moments I work for, I live for."
Jordan Crawford (20 points) had scored all 10 previous points in overtime for Tasmania after missing a shot that would have won the game in the last second of regular time.
Cairns led by six at the final break and held that buffer for most of the final quarter.
But the points dried up - they scored just 10 in the final term - as the JackJumpers moved to a 7-5 season record and Cairns dropped a second close, tough game of the round to fall to 4-6.
"It was a grinder," Tasmania coach Scott Roth said.
"If we'd have lost the game I'd have been just as proud."
McCall (21 points) and Patrick Miller (26) did all they could to drag the hosts home, but a 29-48 rebound count and their dry spell in the final minutes of regular time cost coach Adam Forde's side.
In-form Tasmanian centre Will Magnay (six points, seven rebounds, four assists) left the game in the third quarter after copping an accidental hand in the face, although the former NBA big returned in the fourth quarter.
He immediately made an impact, swiping away McCall's mid-range shot before Milton Doyle scored at the other end.
Doyle picked up his fourth foul soon after and the home crowd sensed the moment.
But the hosts couldn't find a bucket and Crawford's triple - his first points since the first quarter - gave Tasmania a lead before Miller tied the game 77-77 inside the last 30 seconds.
The visitors emerged with possession after a mad scramble under the basket but Crawford, well guarded by Taran Armstrong, missed the final-play match-winner but made no mistake in overtime.
Cairns' NBA draft prospect Bobi Klintman (hip) missed the clash, the Taipans relieved to not play again until December 1 so they can regroup after a whirlwind mid-season, two-game NBA preseason trip.
Forde said the side was gutted and Armstrong conceded they needed more training time to realise their potential.
"It sounds like a cop-out," he said.
"But we have so much talent around, learning to play with each other.
"Tonight we were better than against Perth (on Thursday) and we'll continue to grow."
