Breakers slip further off pace
The battle for NBL finals spots intensified further after Illawarra Hawks continued their late resurgence with a 107-96 comeback victory over the New Zealand Breakers.
Illawarra (10-11) remained sixth but have triumphed in three of their past four games and are just two wins behind secondplaced Melbourne United, such is the closeness of the top six teams.
Cairns (3-16) are the only team out of playoff reckoning, while the Breakers (8-11) are struggling to stay in contention after blowing a 15-point lead in the fourth quarter against the Hawks on Friday night in Wollongong.
The Breakers get the chance to improve their position on the second leg of their away doubleheader tonight in Cairns.
Illawarra conquered competition leaders Sydney (13-7) twice in the past fortnight and coach Rob Beveridge remains upbeat about his team’s final four prospects. ‘‘We’ve beaten every team in the league and that gives us confidence going into play Melbourne and Cairns,’’ Beveridge said.‘‘Our last four games are as good as we’ve played. Nobody talks good about us but that’s okay. There’s no pressure on us at all.’’
Sitting just above the Hawks on the ladder are Melbourne (12-7), slumping Perth (12-9), Brisbane (11-9) and Adelaide (11-10).
Sharpshooting forward Todd Blanchfield led the Hawks with 27 points against the Breakers and is confident the playoffs remain well within reach.
The Hawks outscored the visitors 34-11 in the final quarter.
Breakers coach Kevin Braswell lamented the late collapse, saying his team ‘‘still has some growth’’.
Front-court duo Todd Blanchfield and Brian Conklin combined for 47 points to lead Illawarra. Jordair Jett and AJ Ogilvy scored 14 points apiece off the bench for the Hawks, while four-time Olympian David Andersen added 10.
Jarrad Weeks led New Zealand with 22 points and forward Tom Abercrombie finished with 20.
The Breakers were firmly on course for their ninth win for most of the night before collapsing. Illawarra were in control early in the game but the Breakers didn’t flinch, as Patrick Richard, Finn Delaney and Weeks combined for 15 points off the bench.
Veteran forward Abercrombie made a pair of free throws and a three-point bomb in the closing seconds to give the visitors a 27-22 quarter-time lead. Weeks hogged the limelight throughout the second period and had 18 points at half-time after missing just one of his seven shots.
Blanchfield’s 17 points kept the Hawks within striking distance but New Zealand led 52-47 at half-time and stretched the margin to 12 at three-quarter time. Despite leading by 15 early in the fourth period, the Breakers were over-run by a rampant Hawks.