Basketball: Pepper's push gives Breakers the edge

Breakers centre Ben Pepper stepped up with 34 points yesterday as his team dumped the Townsville Crocodiles 117 to 108 for their best score of the season.

Pepper also had 19 rebounds in his best game for the Breakers.

One-from-two at the weekend leaves them at the bottom of the table and keeps the pressure on for more wins. But it averted what would have been a disaster for the Breakers' season hopes.

The game at the Trusts Stadium in Waitakere was intense.

The Breakers stuck to their work throughout and delivered their best shooting rate, 53.8 per cent.

The Crocs struggled with some of the rulings from the officials, and their coach, Ian Stacker, delivered verbal attacks at James Hickey in particular.

Stacker said afterwards league rules barred him from commenting on the refs' performance, "no matter how bad it is".

Turnovers called against his side had cost, he said. But it was home-team pressure that brought those.

Breakers coach Frank Arsego changed his starting line-up by bringing in Dillon Boucher and using Pero Cameron off the bench.

Import Shawn Redhage was left out after an ordinary game in the loss to Melbourne on Friday night.

Boucher played a lot more time than he has done, and brought plenty of energy.

With him running interference, guards Aaron Olson and Paul Henare got their shots away and the home team led early.

The lead was short-lived, as the defence slipped to leave the Crocs' three-point shooters, John Rillie and Brad Newly, open too often.

Big Derek Moore provided some spectacular blocks to keep the Breakers out, and the Crocs led 32-23 at the first break.

The Breakers came out the more lively and, with the injection of Lindsay Tait, scored the first eight points of the half.

They then delivered a late flurry to make 40 in the period.

Mike Chappell delivered threes and free-throws, Pepper worked hard on the inside and it was 63-57 at the break.

That, said Arsego, was the quarter he wanted from them every game.

The Breakers were executing better than they have this season, and they stayed awake for the third quarter, generally their worst.

Chappell and Cameron dropped three-shots at crucial times and Pepper cleaned up the rebounds to keep them in front 89-86 at the third break.

The Breakers employed a slick long-passing game to score quickly early in the last period, and by mid-quarter had surpassed their best score this season, the 106 to beat West Sydney a month ago.

Crocs captain Robert Rose and centre Casey Calvary had foul trouble and were both eventually ejected, robbing their team of any chance of a comeback.