Basketball: Webster boosts Breakers to victory

Corey Webster led all scorers with 22 as the Breakers beat the Kings. Photo / Nick Reed

Breakers 74
Kings 62

No one in the North Shore Events Centre was under any illusion where Corey Webster would have rather been. But, equally, every single supporter left the gym grateful for his presence.

Webster tonight returned to the Breakers in typically-fine fashion after an unsuccessful stint to crack the NBA, helping his side off the bottom of the Australian NBL standings in a closely-contested win over the Kings.

The shooting guard led all scorers with 22 - and the home side needed almost every one of those points to see off Sydney and grab their second win of the new season.

Webster was always meant to play panacea for a team who has fallen in an early 1-3 hole and, for much of the encounter, he did. But it was the defending champions' defence that ultimately proved the difference, withstanding some relentless Sydney pressure to walk away winners.

"Tonight felt a little bit like the start of the season last year, where you had to win some games with your defence," said coach Dean Vickerman. "We did that and it was very pleasing to get it done."

With their offence still showing signs of early-season rust, the Breakers tightened the screws at the other end, keeping the Kings to 30 points in the second half and preventing them from pulling closer than two possessions.

The Breakers doubled up their opponents (48-24) in an outstanding rebounding effort and threw enough hands in enough Sydney faces to limit their shooting to 30 per cent. And the fact the champs were hardly any better at the offensive end - the two sides combined to shoot six-of-44 from deep - made for an ugly encounter that quickly degenerated after a flowing start.

The way Webster began the game, it looked as if Breakers fans were set for an even happier homecoming, finishing his first stint on the floor with four-of-five shooting. The most impressive aspect was the ease with which he attacked the rim, finding defences at this level a little easier to unlock as the Breakers jumped out to a double-digit lead.

But after a triple from Webster lifted the lead to a game-high 13 in the second, both the Breakers and their returning star lost some lustre. The home side were throwing far too many wayward passes, eventually ending the game with a club-record 27 turnovers, and just as many shots were failing to find their mark.

Webster was one of many transgressors, making only one of his six attempts from beyond the arc, but his influence and growing experience were felt as the Breakers locked down on defence.

"Any time you get a weapon like that, offensively it's always going to help your club," said captain Mika Vukona. " But I think the most impressive thing about it was his talk.

"Defensively, he's talking a lot, and that's something that he's been improving every year. He's got that swagger, he's got that confidence, and right now that's what we need as a group."

Vukona ably supported the efforts of his teammate, pulling down seven offensive rebounds, while Tom Abercrombie ended an impressive evening with a double-double.

Breakers 74 (Webster 22, Abercrombie 15, Jackson 11)
Kings 62 (Thornton 18, Cadee 13, Khazzouh 13)
HT: 38-32