Sunday Stuff

The New Zealand Breakers have started their Australian National Basketball League title defence with two convincing wins on the road.

The Breakers held their nerve to beat the Wollongong Hawks 98-82, having threatened to lose a game they dominated early, leading 28-14 after the first quarter.

Their lead was reduced to 43-33 by halftime and it was 58-58 entering the final stanza before 10 unanswered points made the result a formality over the closing minutes.

Victory followed their 102-87 defeat of the Gold Coast Blaze in Queensland on Friday, which was also built on a strong finish.

Bookmakers, believing the Breakers may struggle this season without departed star Kirk Penney, rated the New Zealand side underdogs for both opening matches but got it badly wrong.

Import guard Cedric Jackson was the star tonight, in just his second regular season game.

The quicksilver American produced a game-high 28 points to complement a stunning six steals. Already he looks like he could be an astute signing by coach Andrej Lemanis.

Jackson had scoring support from Gary Wilkinson (16) and Mika Vukona (13) while Pledger and Jackson again, who pulled down the most rebounds with six apiece.

Forward Larry Davidson top-scored for Wollongong with 19 points.

The Breakers shot at an excellent 56.1 percent, and poured in 40 points in a stunning final quarter, sending a warning to other sides that Penney's offensive absence can be adequately replaced this season.

Their next match is away again, to the Sydney Kings on Saturday,

Result:

NZ Breakers 98 (Cedric Jackson 28, Gary Wilkinson 16, Mika Vukona 13, CJ Bruton 12) Wollongong Hawkes 82 (Larry Davidson 19, Rhys Martin 16, Mat Campbell 14). HT: 43-33.

By: Josh Alston, Pagemasters

 BOXSCORE 

The New Zealand Breakers have surged home in a thriller to beat the Gold Coast Blaze 102-87 in their season-opener on Friday night.

In a match where the lead changed 21 times, the Breakers sealed the win with a 32-20 final quarter to start their championship defence in style.

Australian Boomer Mark Worthington scored a game-high 28 points for the Blaze, but it was an all-around team display from the Breakers that showed there is life without star guard Kirk Penney.

Thomas Abercrombie, who coach Andrej Lemanis has identified as the player who needs to stand up in 2011/12, sliced his way through the heavy Gold Coast traffic to finish with 25 points, eight in the final quarter carnage.

Mika Vukona was at his rugged best with 16 while import Gary Wilkinson produced an impressive 21-point game, including a perfect three-from-three from beyond the arc.

Worthington used all of his international experience to keep the Blaze in the game, scoring six unanswered points – including a spectacular coast-to-coast effort off his own rebound – to guide his team back from an eight-point deficit in the second quarter.

He then nailed a clutch three-pointer in the third term to erase the Breakers’ lead. Journeyman Stephen Hoare also exploded into life, draining a buzzer-beating triple, pulling down a crucial rebound and completing a three-point play as Gold Coast claimed a five-point lead.

The home team’s tenacity died away in the last quarter though, as league veteran CJ Bruton awoke from a three quarter slumber to pile on the pain in the final term, quickly turning two points into 11 as well as providing the game-breaking passes.

Blaze coach Joey Wright, who coached Bruton at the Brisbane Bullets, was not surprised to see his old protege turn enemy.

“That's what he does, he just waits,'' he said. “Sometimes it doesn't come off. Tonight it did."

Wright was bitterly disappointed with the efforts of import Mike English and said his future in the NBL was on a knife's edge.

“He was awful,'' he said. “We were wishing on a prayer that we would get something out of him this particular game but 0 from five, four turnovers, adequate but not great on defence - horrible.

“He probably took this league for granted ... (cutting him) is always a consideration. With an import, you don't play well, you go home."

Lemanis was happy his team “scrapped” their way to a win, but said his roster was nowhere near at its peak following a pre-season disrupted by international duties.

“It's that double-edged sword, isn't it? They're getting to play the best basketball in the world against the best players in the world.

“That can only be good for them, but we need to be aware that we have suffered in our own preparation.”

Gold Coast Blaze 87 (Mark Worthington 28, Will Hudson 18, Adam Gibson 14)

New Zealand Breakers 102 (Thomas Abercrombie 25, Gary Wilkinson 21, Mika Vukona 16)

Crowd: 3446 at Gold Coast Convention Centre

 Melbourne Tigers 82 (Patty Mills 28, Ayinde Ubaka 22, Cameron Tragardh 14) Sydney Kings 76 (Julian Khazzouh 18, Jerai Grant 16, Aaron Bruce 9) at State Netball and Hockey Centre