Basketball: Breakers bash rivals Perth

Corey Webster scored 17 first-half points to help the Breakers beat Perth. Photo / Getty

Breakers 90
Wildcats 79

If the Breakers do meet Perth in next month's semifinals, the Kiwi club will take a great deal of confidence into that clash.

The Breakers tonight dealt the defending champions a third straight defeat this season, riding a red-hot offence at the NSEC to further ensconce themselves in the top two of the Australian NBL.

Perth (13-10) now trail the Breakers (18-6) by four games in the loss column, meaning only a dramatic reversal of results in the final three weeks of the regular season will see the Wildcats overtake their fierce foes.

The Breakers, meanwhile, face a battle against Cairns (17-6) to win top spot and avoid a potential match-up with Perth in the semifinals but, judging by recent evidence, such an outcome would be far from fatal to their championship chances.

Having handed Perth an emphatic home defeat to open the campaign, the Breakers have now taken two tough games at home. The first, last month, was typically tight and low-scoring, but tonight brought a fast and fluid encounter that threatened to turn into a shootout.

The Breakers, given the accuracy with which they were shooting, were more than content with that prospect. The home side made 47 per cent of their efforts from the floor and 38 per cent from beyond the arc, establishing a pace that was hard to match.

Corey Webster set that tone with 17 first-half points before being held scoreless in the second, while Tom Abercrombie grabbed 16 and Ekene Ibekwe filled in for the injured Alex Pledger with 12 points and eight boards.

Cedric Jackson (10) and Tai Wesley (11) made it five players in double figures but, a week after giving up 100 points for the first time in a year, coach Dean Vickerman preferred to focus on the quality of the defensive display.

"I thought we got good contributions from a lot of people tonight," he said. "But the most pleasing thing was the team defence in the second half."

The Breakers needed to turn the screws following a first quarter that would have left their coach ambivalent, leaking 26 points but racking up 32 of their own. The home side were getting to the hoop with ease and shooting at better than 60 per cent, increasing their lead to double digits in the second.

Perth soon came roaring back with a 10-0 run before Webster made clear his intention to bust open the game. The guard was involved in all facets as his side established a 13-point halftime lead, hustling for steals, blocking shots and scoring nine straight points.

"We've talked about it all year, if something's working to keep going back to it," Vickerman said. "The boys were great, they kept running the same play and Corey got a great margin."

Though Perth reduced the deficit to five in the third quarter, the Breakers bounced back to lead by 10 heading to the fourth, eventually creating a comfortable enough advantage to turn their attentions towards the minor premiership.

Breakers 90 (Webster 17, Abercrombie 16, Ibekwe 12)
Wildcats 79 (Daniels 20, Martin 19, Jervis 12)
HT: 54-41