Basketball: Unsettled Breakers pull out seventh win

Putting virtually the entire Breakers squad on notice certainly had a positive effect last night as they picked up a dramatic seventh win of a dreadful season.

With only Ben Pepper contracted for next season, the rest of the squad have been told by general manager Richard Clarke that they are playing for their futures and, although coach Andrej Lemanis last night said that wasn't the case, the commitment and effort of the side could not be questioned last night.

Lemanis prefers to make his assessment of players over the course of the season and he seems happy with what he's seen in the past two months. It's expected he will hang on to at least half of his present roster next season.

"It's all good, positive signs," Lemanis said after seeing his side post a 2-1 winning record over a side he helped coach for 12 years. "Since December we've been playing some pretty good basketball and it's given me faith we are heading in the right direction."

There's added motivation for at least four of the squad as well with Commonwealth Games spots up for grabs. With Kirk Penney, Mark Dickel and Phill Jones highly unlikely to play in Melbourne due to club commitments in Europe, the likes of Paul Henare, Aaron Olson, Lindsay Tait and Mika Vukona will have their sights set on making the Tall Blacks squad for Melbourne.

Lemanis' side have certainly been playing better in recent times, particularly on the defensive end of the court as they seem to have realised it helps to win games.

Defence, though, was largely nonexistent last night as the game took on something of an exhibition flavour at times with a high number of turnovers and errant passes but also high on entertainment value.

The Breakers' running game was employed to good effect with skipper Henare and backup point guard Tait running at every opportunity but it was impressive American Rich Melzer who stood out.

He'd already posted 24 points by halftime on the back of eight from nine from the field and was a calming presence. He ended with 32 points and 11 rebounds.

Centre Ben Pepper was also tireless under the basket with 18 points and 17 rebounds, while the hot and cold Brian Green chipped in with a game-high 34 points, including two clutch three-pointers.

There was rarely more than five points between the two sides with the Breakers invariably having their noses in front. They held a narrow 33-29 lead at the end of the first quarter, it was all square 66-66 at halftime and the Breakers took a 96-95 lead into the final quarter.

The quality of the match disintegrated somewhat in the final stages and the home side added only six points in the first eight minutes of the final quarter before taking the lead 108-107 with one minute of the match remaining. Green then nailed a clutch three-pointer to give his side some valuable breathing space.

The long-suffering fans were able to go home with a smile on their faces.


NZ Breakers 116
Townsville 112

- HERALD ON SUNDAY