Breakers still up for a fight
New Zealand fans, get your calculators out. The Breakers’ season is far from over after recording their second win over Perth in as many weeks in their 86-84 victory at the Silverdome in Launceston on Saturday night.
It was neck-and-neck basketball played at a breakneck speed and neither side was willing to give an inch in a match that came right down to the wire.
The Breakers welcomed back Tai Webster (12 points, three rebounds, four assists), but also said goodbye to reserve guard Jarrad Weeks who was squeezed out by the younger Webster brother’s return.
Levi Randolph had an enormous match with 19 points — including the match-winner.
Perth had a catch and shoot opportunity to steal the result, but Bryce Cotton’s three-pointer rimmed out.
The rebuilt Breakers are full of form and will be heading home to finish out the season, this win meaning they remain a mathematic chance of storming into the finals.
Breakers coach Dan Shamir said his side was not giving up belief that they could make a late-season charge at the finals.
“I hope so, I definitely think like that,” he said.
“Things happen, and as long as there is chance, a mathematical chance, we are two games behind, but I think we should think like that.
“I definitely like to think our season is not done, all the time.”
Shamir said ultimately it would come down to professionalism and preparing for each game as if it was do-or-die.
“We really have to fight,” he said. Shamir also praised Tai Webster, who came into the match off a single practice and no matches with new team-mates Randolph and William McDowell-White.
“You don’t know what to expect when he sits out like that,” he said.
“It tells you all about him and his greatness, in all honesty.”
It was hard to fault Perth who were led by John Mooney with 25 points, nine rebounds and four assists and Todd Blanchfield who had 21 points, four rebounds and four assists.
Cotton was influential with 19 points, four rebounds and three assists but at times for the wrong reasons as he was unable to come up with his usual clutch plays down the stretch.
Wildcats coach Trevor Gleeson was not kicking stones after his side left it all on the floor and lost a closely contested match.
“We had our chances played hard,” he said.
“When you shoot 10 per cent from the three-point line, you are not going to win many games, but certainly we were in it.”
Gleeson described the Breakers as “super talented” after the New Zealand squad notched up their second win against his Wildcats.
“They have the two Webster boys, Randolph, Iverson all playing their roles,” he said.
“Tai was back in today hitting three-pointers like he hadn’t left.”
The Breakers will take on the fifth-placed Illawarra Hawks at 9.30 (NZT) tonight. — nbl.com.au
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