Basketball: Twin weapons fire Breakers to win

Tom Abercrombie takes the ball to the hoop under pressure from Perth's Nate Jawai. Photo / Dean Purcell

Breakers 88
Wildcats 80

Coach Dean Vickerman said this week that he believed the Breakers were beginning to find the perfect balance between Corey Webster and Tom Abercrombie.

And that belief would only be bolstered after tonight's clash with Perth at Vector Arena, as the defending champions' twin offensive weapons fired them to rousing win over their old rivals.

The pair combined for 48 points in an impressive display of shooting, helping the Breakers (5-4) lead from start to finish and survive a fourth-quarter scare to edge closer to the second-placed Wildcats (6-4).

Webster once again led the way, pouring in 28 points and, after Perth pulled within three in the final period, sealing the spoils with some key shots as the clock counted down.

"There was that one passage when they were coming back," Vickerman said. "Then we made some great close-out shots and Corey was big down the stretch there."

Abercrombie wasn't far behind his Tall Blacks teammate, following his season-high haul of 24 last weekend with another influential effort, grabbing a double-double of 20 points and 11 rebounds while shooting at 64 per cent from the floor.

The duel threat was far too much for the Wildcats to handle and, if Vickerman's assertion continues to be proven correct, Webster and Abercrombie will be a handful for any defence for the remainder of the campaign.

"It makes my job easy," said playmaker Cedric Jackson. "If those guys are rolling, it makes my job about creating a little bit more for them. But I can't really take all the credit - it was a good team effort getting those guys hot."

They were hot tonight from the opening tip, finding form early to see the Breakers storm in front and provide Perth with plenty of early warning about what was in store for them. But that warning went unheeded and, after a dominant defensive quarter restricted the Wildcats to 12, Abercrombie lifted the lead to double digits early in the second.

If they were unable to stop his shot, Perth soon found another way to limit Abercrombie's contributions, with Nate Jawai's swinging arm connecting heavily with the swingman's face as he drove to the basket. Abercrombie was forced to leave the free throw line and seek attention on the bench but, after the Breakers took an eight-point edge to the major break, he returned to the court for the third.

The clash must have fired up Charles Jackson, for one, with the import relishing his work in the paint against Perth's physical frontline, throwing down a number of two-handed finishes to grab 13 points in the third.

While Jackson's energy left the Breakers seemingly set for a comfortable final quarter, the Wildcats soon found themselves within a possession. But that was when Webster took over, draining a couple of timely three-pointers to strengthen the buffer and see the Breakers claim the latest chapter in this great rivalry.

"They're a tough team," Abercrombie said. "It was exactly the kind of game we thought it would be and exactly the kind of game we needed. We ground that one out and it was a great win for us."

Breakers 88 (Webster 28, Abercrombie 20, Charles Jackson 15)
Wildcats 80 (Prather 15, Jawai 14, Knight 11)
HT: 41-33