Pledger stands tall in win for Breakers
Sometimes you have to take a step backwards to make a big stride forwards.
Just ask Breakers big man Alex Pledger.
A couple of weeks back the 2.15m centre they call ‘‘the Chief’’ lost his place in the Breakers’ starting lineup when coach Paul Henare decided to change things up in the midst of a slump that saw them lose five of six games in the Australian NBL.
On Thursday night in Auckland a revitalised Pledger came off the bench to play arguably the key individual role in a much-needed 69-57 victory over the Perth Wildcats that breathes some life back into the Breakers’ playoff aspirations as they head into a two-week Christmas hiatus.
At 8-9 the Breakers still have plenty to do over their remaining 11 games, but it’s a heck of a better spot than 7-10.
And Pledger was a big part of a hard-nosed response from the undermanned Kiwi club. After seeing star guard Corey Webster effectively shelved for the season earlier in the week when he was placed on long-term injury waiver, Pledger figured the Breakers would need their senior figures to stand up in their crucial final prechristmas hitout.
Tom Abercrombie (15 points, 11 rebounds), Kirk Penney (16 points, four boards) and Mika Vukona (nine points, nine rebounds, five assists) all played their parts, but Pledger was the difference-maker on a night when he had himself a block party.
The 29-year-old made seven of his nine shots for 16 points, grabbed nine rebounds, including five off the offensive glass, and blocked six shots which matched his career high. His length and defensive footwork also helped keep Perth danger man Matt Knight to just seven points on three-of-11 shooting.
Pledger ended up playing 28 minutes, while the man who replaced him as starting centre, Rob Loe, was required for just eight (one point, two rebounds).
‘‘He was huge,’’ said coach Henare afterwards. ‘‘I just said to him I was really proud of the way he has responded to his changing role. We brought Robbie into the starting lineup a couple of weeks ago and I told him it probably won’t change his minutes too much, that he’s still going to get the same opportunities.
‘‘I have faith in all my bigs. Robbie is sitting in the locker-room and part of him is a little bit disappointed, but when the game is going the right way you’ve got to go with it. Chief was outstanding defensively and did a great job oneon-one in the post with Knight and the shots he was changing around there.’’
Pledger said his coaches had challenged him to be more proactive with his length, and Thursday night’s season-best output had been a result of that.
‘‘At times I can be tentative, not wanting to give up an offensive rebound or a dump-off dunk,’’ he said. ‘‘You can’t run around like a headless chicken just trying to block everything. It’s just using my length to my advantage and having confidence if I leave my man to challenge a shot somebody will have my back.’’
It was not all Pledger as the Breakers won the rebounding battle 54-38 and put the squeeze on the Cats who shot just 30 percent from the floor and put up the second lowest total in their history.
Perth coach Trevor Gleeson later said ‘‘we were pretty poor executing our stuff, and had no idea what we doing half the time’’. But he conceded the Breakers’ defence contributed to some ‘‘pitiful’’ execution.