Basketball: Breakers prepared for 36ers

By PETER JESSUP


The Breakers went to Adelaide yesterday confident they could reverse the result from their season-opening game against the 36ers.

General manager Peter Chapman said they had "trained the house down" during the week, with Mike Chappell the best he's been this year since recovering from ankle injury, and co-captain Pero Cameron also looking sharp and determined.

"They know they played badly against Adelaide in the first game and almost won," said Chapman.

"We rate the Hawks the best team in the league right now and we stuck with them until half-time and out-scored them in the last quarter."

It is that third quarter that keeps bothering the Breakers, as it did last year, with the team sliding into lazy defence that allows opponents big scoring runs.

Chapman felt the team would improve through the season after having only a short build-up. They were a much better chance against Adelaide than the $4-plus the bookies were offering.

Main dangers for the 36ers are Americans Dusty Rychart and Will Farley plus captain Brett Maher.

The Teams

NZ BREAKERS

Pero Cameron (11) and Paul Henare (32) co-captains, Ben Pepper (31), Mike Chappell (20), Aaron Olson (22), Shawn Redhage (32), Dillon Boucher (24), Lindsay Tait (4), Blake Truslove (21), Ben Thompson (12).

ADELAIDE 36ERS

Brett Maher (5) captain, Oscar Forman (31), Dusty Rychart (45), Will Farley (9), Jacob Holmes (12), Darren Ng (8), David Cooper (11), Paul Rees (53), Nick Hambour (25), Todd Gower (44), Jason Williams (51), Nathan Hawkes (54)