Cairns Taipans 55
The New Zealand Breakers have produced a gutsy display to beat the Cairns Taipans and secure the Australian National Basketball League title tonight.
Under tough pressure from the Taipans defence, the Breakers were never at their best but scrapped hard and came away in the final quarter to beat the Taipans 71-53 and take the finals series 2-1.
With Breakers shooting star Kirk Penney under extreme defensive pressure, CJ Bruton and Gary Wilkinson and bench players such as Alex Pledger and Mika Vukona came to the party and helped score the points that saw the Auckland team deservedly take the title.
It was the first time a New Zealand-based side has won a major Australian professional sporting competition.
The Breakers made a hot start, racing out to an 15-5 lead after scoring a number of inside baskets while the Taipans could barely land a shot. However, with CJ Bruton off the court after two early fouls, the Taipans came back with five quick points to Alex Loughton and the home team had just a two point lead at quarter time.
The second quarter played out started in similar fashion to the first, two early lay-ups to Mika Vukona seeing the Breakers stretch their lead to 11 points. But with Dusty Rychart leading the way in both points and rebounds, the Taipans drew the margin back to five. Some late baskets saw the Breakers take a seven point lead into halftime.
Two quick baskets drew the Taipans to within three early in the third quarter. However, the visitors got into foul trouble in the quarter and a number of visits to the free-throw line helped the Breakers draw gradually out to an 11-point lead.
Both sides found it tough early in the fourth quarter, but two consecutive CJ Bruton three-pointers helped the Breakers to a 9-0 run midway through the quarter. It gave them a 21-point lead and they cruised their way to the title from that point.
Bruton topped the scoring with 14, one ahead of Wilkinson. Tom Abercrombie and Vukona headed the rebounding stats with 10.
Rychart was the outstanding player for the Taipans, leading the scoring with 14 and the rebounds with 10.
New Zealand Breakers 71 (CJ Bruton 14, Gary Wilkinson 13, Kirk Penney 11) Cairns Taipans 53 (D Rychart 14)
(Breakers take the NBL title 2-1)
- NZPA
