Amazing Breakers fly high, steamroll Tigers
BOXSCORE
By Grant Chapman, Pagemasters
Breakers stalwart Dillon Boucher got the North Shore Events Centre send-off he so richly deserved as his team hammered the visiting Melbourne Tigers 114-84 extending their winning streak to 16 games.
The last survivor of the original Breakers roster, this was Boucher’s final appearance at the club’s spiritual home and was obliged to give even more than usual to help his side’s cause.
After trailing through the opening quarter (30-34), the titleholders erased that deficit with 10 unanswered points to start the second and then dominated either side of half-time to seal the game.
Breakers forward Tom Abercrombie led all scorers with 24 points, supported by Alex Pledger’s 22-point, 12-rebound double-double and Corey Webster’s career-high 23 points as the Breakers shot 57 per cent from the field and achieved a 60-42 scoring advantage in the paint..
For Melbourne, Chris Goulding had 22 points, with Lucas Walker scoring 14.
The Breakers suffered an early blow, when inspirational forward Mika Vukona crumbled to the floor with an ankle injury, extending Boucher’s involvement.
Melbourne showed they were not about to just roll over, scoring 34 points in the opening term to take a four-point lead.
As the game wore on, Goulding became their “go-to” guy, keeping them in contention with a pair of three-pointers during the second quarter.
But the Breakers were getting plenty of mileage from their younger players – Webster giving an offensive clinic, equalling his career-best output (14 points) by half-time.
A nine-point roll just before the break eased the home side out to a double-figure advantage and extended that to 20 points, with a 12-2 run to start the third period.
With the contest effectively decided the game turned into a highlight reel as both teams showed off some sublime passing and aerial play as the home team cruised past the 100-point mark with their bench on the floor.
New Zealand Breakers 114 (Abercrombie 24, C Webster 23, Pledger 22, Te Rangi 13)
Melbourne Tigers 84 (Goulding 22, Walker 14, Scott 12)
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