Breakers 90 Taipans 95
KEY POINTS:
A loss, sure. But this was far from the dispiriting sort of no-contest that has plagued the Breakers' first three seasons in the Australian NBL.
Always on the back foot following the injury-enforced absence of Kirk Penney, the Breakers found the odds stacked even more heavily against them shortly before tip-off at the North Shore Events Centre last night when Paul Henare withdrew after failing a fitness test.
Henare's absence ended his record of having played in every Breakers NBL fixture. His run of 130 straight games isn't going to be extended any time soon with planned surgery to repair damaged cartilage in both knees expected to sideline him for up to six weeks.
There were some familiar failings, most notably the failure to make clutch shots down the stretch with the game on the line.
But there was plenty also to enthuse about.
American imports Rick Rickert and Wayne Turner showed their value with encouraging first-up displays, while Phill Jones shone on his return to the club and Aussie veteran Tony Ronaldson proved he still has plenty of game left in legs that have seen no shortage of game time in a decorated career.
Much of the Breakers pre-season had been dedicated to mastering a new defensive approach but there was little evidence of its effectiveness in the early going as Cairns notched easy baskets on their first four possessions.
That left the Breakers playing catch-up early but with Ronaldson dominating in the paint on offence they stayed in touch.
Ronaldson contributed nine early points and there were also nice early touches from Rickert and Turner as the Breakers turned the early deficit into a six-point lead with four minutes remaining in the first quarter.
Rickert's value on the boards was particularly evident as he snatched a game-high eight first half rebounds.
The Breakers weren't as effective when Turner was spelled in favour of young Aussie Ryan Kersten and the Taipans hit back to lead by two at quarter-time.
Veteran Jones made an impressive return to the side after a two-year hiatus, contributing 10 first half points, many of which belied his reputation as predominantly an outside shooter.
The Breakers defence finally kicked into gear as they shut down the Taipans for much of the second quarter on the way to a game-high eight-point lead.
But their prospects of holding that lead took a dive shortly before the break when Turner and Rickert both notched up their third fouls in quick succession and headed for the bench.
The Taipans were at their most effective with Larry Abney, Rashad Tucker and the colossal Nathan Jawai on the court at the same time and it was that powerhouse trio that helped them to cut the halftime deficit to 48-50.
The Breakers' lead would have been greater had they not been cold from beyond the arc, with Oscar Forman connecting for their only three-pointer of the half.
The Taipans didn't fare much better, managing only two threes in a half were both sides favoured getting the ball into the big men under the hoop.
With Tucker and Rickert in foul trouble, Breakers coach Andrej Lemanis chose to keep his powder dry for much of the third quarter, but a Paora Winitana three-pointer right on the buzzer meant his side trailed by just two heading into the final quarter.
The Breakers were close enough if they were good enough.
This time, they weren't. That may well change.
