Breakers come up clutch to steal win
No one is getting carried away at Breakers HQ but Paul Henare’s side are beginning to make a habit of winning the tight ones.
And is there a better quality to have when it gets down to the business-end of the season?
The Breakers maintained their place at the top of the Australian NBL standings on Saturday night in thrilling fashion, snapping a five-game losing streak to the Cairns Taipans - and in the process extending their winning run to six - with a 73-70 road win courtesy of import guard Edgar Sosa’s lastgasp heroics.
It was by no means a vintage game as the second half turned into a defensive slugfest, but the crazy finish will be talked about for some time.
Locked at 70-70 with three seconds to go, Sosa drained a corner three to spark scenes of jubilation among his team-mates.
The celebrations appeared to be premature, though, when Taipans captain Cam Gliddon, with 0.1 seconds on the clock, sent The Snakepit into a frenzy by landing an unbelievable full court Hail Mary, only for it to be waved off for being too late.
A relieved Henare would have much preferred his side to keep defending until the final buzzer. But the performance was another impressive example of the Kiwi outfit staying calm when the game is on the line.
Their winning streak began with a DJ Newbill buzzer-beater against the Kings last month. While just three days ago against Adelaide, the 36ers erased a healthy deficit to rally within two points in the final 30 seconds. But the Breakers refused to flinch.
It all bodes well for their quest to return to the playoffs this season. Those nerves of steel may well be called upon again this week as they take on great rivals, the second-placed Perth Wildcats, in back-to-back games, the first on Thursday in Auckland.
‘‘It’s good just to be able to play in a tight game,’’ Henare said as his side improved to 7-1. ‘‘We’ve had a couple now this year where we’ve been able to stay solid and stay true to what we’re doing and come out on top. That’s going to pay dividends for us throughout the season.’’
A major factor in the Breakers’ success has been their scoring depth, and for the third time this season they had five players in double figures on Saturday.