Basketball: Breakers soar clear of Taipans

CJ Bruton in action for the Breakers. Photo / Getty Images

The Breakers have added some breathing room at the top of the ANBL table after beating second placed Cairns Taipans at the North Shore Events Centre tonight.

It took almost three quarters to find their touch but the Breakers, who trailed by 14 points at one point, found their form late to come away with a crucial 94-88 win.

Guard Kirk Penney once again led the way for the Breakers with a game-high 24 points, courtesy of five points from beyond the three point line, out-dueling Taipans' sharp-shooter Ron Dorsey who finished with 20 points.

American import Gary Wilkinson, who came into the game under an injury cloud, continued his rich run of form for the Breakers backing up his 27-point nine rebound effort against Adelaide last week with 22 points and three rebounds tonight.

CJ Bruton with 13 points and Kevin Braswell, 12 points, both played a pivotal role in getting the Breakers back in the game after a poor start while Thomas Abercrombie helped the cause with 10 rebounds.

But for almost three quarters of the game it looked like the Breakers would give up their two-game buffer to Cairns on the table after a strong start by the Taipans.

Cairns held a 23-19 lead at the end of the first quarter making the most of their chances compared to the home team who shot just six from 20 from the field. The Breakers didn't help their cause by giving away six fouls in the opening quarter.

It was much of the same in the second quarter as Cairns extended their lead to 14 points before letting the Breakers back into the match with some poor shooting of their own. As expected Penney led the revival along with Wilkinson, who was 1/6 from the field at one point, who got closer to the hoop which saw him sent to the line three times where he converted all but one of the six shots from the stripe.

However with only 16 points in the second quarter better shooting could have seen the hosts take the lead. Hitting just four from 14 outside the arc, three of which coming from the hands of Penney, didn't help their cause.

In the closing stages of the half Dorsey hit a three to give Taipans a 10 point lead before Wilkinson gave the home side something to cheer about with a slam dunk right on the buzzer to make it 43-35 at the break.

The Breakers came out a stronger team in the second half with Penney continuing to find form from the three point line but he was matched by Dorsey who ensured the Cairns kept the lead with some sharp shooting outside the arc.

The Breakers closed the gap to four but with Penney taking a breather the Cairns made the most of the opportunity and quickly went out to a nine point lead bringing the turning point in the game.

How would the Breakers react? Just fine as Bruton took the reigns, scoring seven straight points turning the game on its head. Suddenly Dorsey wasn't sinking them from deep anymore while the Breakers had no problems down the other end caping off their comeback with an alley-oop dunk by Abercrombie to make it a two point game.

Bruton then made an outstanding shot through traffic to give the Breakers the lead with eight seconds left in the third quarter and a Braswell three made it 68-65 at the final break.

Penney returned at the start of the fourth quarter and the Breakers went on a 7-3 run extending their lead to seven. Unlike their opponents the Breakers looked comfortable in the lead and never looked back.

There was a moment silence before the match in a mark of respect for those affected by the floods in Queensland. The sell out crowd at the North Shore Events Centre remained relatively quiet as the Taipans stunned the Breakers with a quick start but the fans were making plenty of noise in the closing stages as the Breakers closed out their 12th win of the season.

The Taipans head back across the Tasman to face the Melbourne Tigers on Saturday, needing a victory to at least close the gap with the Breakers on top of the table.

The win also means the Breakers hold a crucial 2-0 lead ahead of the third contest between the two sides on January 30 in Cairns, meaning New Zealand will have home advantage if the competition's pace-setters meet in the playoffs.

- Herald online