Basketball: Breakers finish at home with loss

Aaron Olson in action during a Breakers game last year. Picture / Fotopress

If last night's game was anything to go by, the Breakers Board may have done one thing right this season by re-signing guard Aaron Olson.

Olson, Tall Black Paul Henare and import Mike Chappell are the only players so far who have contracts for the 2005/06 season.

Olson showed at the Trusts Stadium last night in their final home game of the season that he was worthy of Breakers selection, despite his side's narrow 109-108 loss to the Townsville Crocodiles.

Not only was Olson the Breakers top points scorer with 40 points, but he was also relentless on defence.

Sitting last in the Australian National Basketball league, the Breakers board have made it clear to the players they have to earn a place in next year's team.

The performance against the Crocodiles wouldn't have exactly sent the club's bosses rushing back their offices to draw up contracts however the efforts of youngster Lindsay Tait, Ben Pepper and Ben Thompson may have given them something to ponder.

Once they find a new coach that is.

In what has been the story of their season, the Breakers should have won the match.

Down 66-63 at halftime, they fought back in the third quarter, were in the game in the fourth but failed to nail the shots at the crucial stages.

The Crocodiles are one of the few teams the Breakers have beaten this season, winning in round nine 117-108.

But since then the Crocodiles have charged up the ladder. Last night's win over the Breakers was their eighth on end.

The New Zealand side had their rivals within reach for most of the opening quarter however towards the end a flurry of mistakes allowed the Crocodiles out to dangerous 30-19 lead.

The Breakers closed the gap to 37-32 at the break and managed to rattle their opponents early in the second quarter.

Down 66-63, the Breakers could have gone into halftime equal if not ahead but botched two scoring chances.

The Breakers rallied in the third quarter with Ben Thompson, Lindsay Tait, Henare and Pero Cameron all contributing to the side's 90-86 lead.

In a nail biting finish, the lead changed several times.