St Mirren McDonalds, who won the Scottish Cup in their second senior season last year, have now added the Scottish League title after defeating the title-holders Glasgow d2 by 68 to 66 in a thrilling decider at Linwood Sports Centre.
Even if they lose their final game against Midlothian Bulls, the Paisley side cannot now be caught.
Ironically, St Mirren clinched the title with a starting five all of whom had previously played for their rivals, including Dr Graeme Lumsden, who scored the deciding basket almost on the buzzer to the frenzied acclaim of the full-house crowd.
Yet, with seven seconds to go the issue had still been in doubt after Ronnie Foster had scored an easy lay-up for Glasgow to tie the scores 66-66.
In overtime, Glasgow could have gone on to win by the seven-point margin they needed, but Lumsden, a doctor at the Southern General Hospital, showed great presence of mind, driving forward to snatch
victory.
A delighted St Mirren coach Lindsay Lang said afterwards: ''This is undoubtedly our finest hour - to win the title in front of our fans was special, but the players deserve all the credit.''
Two former Inverness players also played a big part in the home success. Alastair Rae was top scorer with 21 points, while Danny Souter, who scored 11, had an excellent game at point guard.
Gordon Smith, who had an unsuccessful spell with Edinburgh Rocks earlier this season, was another key player with 14, the same tally as Lumsden.
Basketball
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