Breakers secure first win, down Lightning
BASKETBALL: The complexion of the Toowoomba Basketball League took a turn at the halfway point of the competition.
Round three fixtures in the men’s competition saw both previously winless teams get their campaigns underway.
It started with the Breakers, who were able to topple the undefeated Toowoomba City Lightning to the tune of 96-85.
A dynamic start from the Lightning saw them race out to a 26-16 lead at the end of the first quarter.
From that point on the Breakers were able to chip away at the deficit, with a 16point second term from Josh Allen the highlight of a 36-9 quarter.
The Lightning were able to cut the lead back to nine heading into the final term, but ultimately it wasn’t enough, with the Breakers able to close out their maiden win.
Allen finished with 35 points in the contest, with valuable contributions from Kobi Hinch (25 pts) and Deng Makuach (22 pts).
The bulk of the Lightning’s offensive production came through Jason Spurgin (28 pts) and Joel Seaby (25 pts).
Coach Darryl Allen was impressed with the way his side was able to bounce back from a tardy beginning.
“We started a little slow and although we were a few players short, the boys managed to pull it out in the end and come away with the win,” he said.
“We were able to run a fast break game. The boys were moving the ball well and as quickly as possible.
“That was the aim from the outset. We’ve got a reasonably young side, but lost a bit of maturity with Stephen Kluck out, who is still suffering from a knee injury.
“What made Josh and Deng’s efforts more impressive is that they’re only 17 and still haven’t hit adulthood yet.”
Allen believes the combination of players from the Mountaineers U21s side has helped the Dragons develop important chemistry.
“Some of the boys have been playing together for the past four or five months and that combination has been working well for them,” he said.
“Josh, Kobi, Chris (Longford) and Jackson (Berghofer) are all in that team.
“Even though he mightn’t have scored a lot of points, Chris was superb under the basket in defence.”
The evening’s other men’s game saw the Dragons pick up a convincing 104-80 defeat over The A Team.
Despite the best efforts of Paul Aleer (28 pts) and Joe Johnson (26 pts), The A Team wasn’t able to withstand a Daniel Sims barrage that put the game to bed in the second quarter.
The Mountaineers point guard went on a tear, dropping 23 points and giving the Dragons a 13-point lead at halftime.
Sims went on to finish the game with 34 points on the back of six three-pointers, while Cameron Weber added 26 and Will Mitchell chipped in with 20.
The women’s fixture for the evening saw Team Mamba secure its first win of the season, courtesy of a 59-45 defeat of The Aces.
Kimberlee Wilson’s 15 points led the way for the victors, with Maddison Jacklin (14 pts) and Claudia Ott (13 pts) also making an impact.
Meg Essex scored 20 for the undermanned Aces side, along with 14 from Rhiannon Phelan.
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TBL STANDINGS
MEN: Lightning (2-1), Dragons (1-1), Breakers (1-1), The A Team (1-2).
WOMEN: Crusaders (1-0), Chiefs (1-0), Team Mamba (1-1), The Aces (0-2)