Basketball: Breakers bruised and disappointed

By PETER JESSUP

The Breakers will regard their next game at home to Cairns as a must-win after playing their best game of the season at the weekend.

The Taipans must undergo the sort of gruelling build-up the Breakers had last week with Wollongong mid-week. Cairns travel to play Melbourne on Wednesday before coming to the Trusts Stadium on Friday night.

It was a bruised and disappointed Breakers side after the narrow 98-95 loss to the Bullets. They led 28-27 and 51-49 at the first two breaks and were 73-all at the third. With 30 seconds left there was one point in it and afterwards, Bullets coach Joey Wright admitted his team had enjoyed an element of luck in the win.

Their captain, Derek Rucker, who stepped up to win them the game after suggestions all week that a knee injury would keep him out. Breakers coach Frank Arsego felt that was a sign of how desperate the visitors were to win, and he was pleased with his team's effort in holding the title favourites to a three-point margin after they'd copped a 40-plus hiding last season.

"Don't get me wrong, I'm not accepting of defeat. But I am accepting the style and effort in the game."

They had made a fist of improving their defence and he thought the back court of Paul Henare, Aaron Olson, Lindsay Tait and Ben Thompson all delivered big games.

Ben Pepper top-scored for them with 19, Olson and captain Pero Cameron shot 17. Last season's top-scorer, Mike Chappell, again struggled to get shots away and scored nine.

He was a magnet for big defence and had four stitches inserted to a cut near his eye after copping an elbow mid-game.

The starting five of Pepper, Cameron, Chappell, Olson and Henare all played in excess of 33 minutes. Lindsay Tait got a bit more time than usual and played well, Dillon Boucher was on for just six minutes.

The Breakers won most of the stats - rebounds 36-34, shooting accuracy 51 to 49 per cent. But the Bullets got more looks at the basket and more shots away, thanks to home team turnovers, 16-9.

Arsego was disappointed more fouls were not called on the Bullets as they defended under their basket.

"The boys thought they should have won that game," Arsego said. "They are feeling it."

That might not be a bad thing. As Brisbane were desperate for a win, so must the Breakers be against Cairns.