Basketball: Breakers depose Kings

Tom Abercrombie is now the second-highest scorer in Breakers history. Photo / Getty

Kings 85
Breakers 97

The Breakers have followed their worst performance of the season with one of their best to end 2014 on top of the Australian NBL.

The Kiwi club tonight bounced back from last weekend's horror show in Cairns, blowing out Sydney early and surviving an attempted comeback late.

And they did it the tough way on the road, probably left feeling like they had been in a fight after the Boxing Day clash. Three players - Cedric Jackson, Mika Vukona and Rhys Carter - had to spend significant time off the court after sustaining injuries, with the various ailments allowing the Kings back into the game.

The Breakers' troubles would have engendered little sympathy among the Kings, though, with an unhealthy Josh Childress failing to suit up and seeing Sydney short of a player inside the competition's top 10 in seven categories.

In Childress' absence, fellow forward Tom Abercrombie showed some of his best shooting form on a momentous night. Abercrombie grabbed 18 points and, in doing so, surpassed CJ Bruton to sit second behind Kirk Penney on the club's all-time scoring charts.

Abercrombie's efforts were backed by a season-high 23 from Tai Wesley and an efficient 17 from Ekene Ibekwe, with the bench duo combining to go 19-of-26 from the floor.
And all that offence ensured the Breakers (13-5) will take top spot into 2015, with Cairns (11-5) on their tails after winning a one-sided clash between the top dogs last week.

Considering the Breakers missed all 17 of their three-point attempts in that encounter, Abercrombie found the perfect way to start against Sydney, making three straight triples as the Breakers began in electrifying fashion.

The Breakers' 15-point advantage was nothing short of deserved after perhaps their best 10-minute period of the season. They never trailed, shooting 57 per cent from the floor and the dominating the battle of the boards, completely silencing both the Kings and the crowd.

The visitors' supremacy continued at the start of the second, with the lead growing as large as 25 points, but Sydney then began to pull it back as the Breakers struggled to keep players on the court.

First Carter dislocated his finger, heading to the locker room to mend the damage. Then Jackson slipped and landed heavily on his wrist, spending the rest of the quarter on the bench applying ice to the joint. And finally Vukona copped an elbow to the face, spilling blood and seeing him also take a seat.

The Kings reduced the deficit to 15 heading into halftime, with their short-handed opposition in desperate need of the rest. It certainly worked for Jackson, who started the third and quickly found he had a scrap on his hands.

Sydney closed to within single figures for the first time since the first quarter, leaving open the possibility of completing the improbable comeback. The home side trailed by eight to start the fourth but the Breakers, finally welcoming back Vukona from the treatment table, managed to keep the Kings at arm's length.

Kings 85 (Madgen 25, Garlepp 24, Cadee 10)
Breakers 97 (Wesley 23, Abercrombie 18, Ibekwe 17)
HT: 42-57