Breakers 92
Townsville 82
A breakout night from Awvee Storey and a dominant rebounding display from Rick Rickert helped the Breakers subdue the Crocodiles to preserve their unbeaten home start on the North Shore last night.
It was a night where Storey's fortunes appeared to swing wildly.
Relegated to the bench for the first time since joining the club, he responded with a scintillating display, pouring in 22 points, including five of seven three-pointers.
"I needed it," a relieved Storey said.
"It was the right time for it. We tried a different line-up and it worked well. We got a win."
What should have been a comfortable night at the office almost turned into a nightmare for the Breakers as the Crocs stormed back to cut a 23-point deficit to just five heading into the final minutes.
But with Tom Abercrombie and Dillon Boucher having fouled out and the offence misfiring badly, Storey stepped up to the mark, nailing a crucial three and producing an athletic block to stop the rot.
Coach Andrej Lemanis had stood staunchly by Storey despite his limited contribution so far, citing a bedding-in process that has been complicated by a shift in position shortly after his arrival as the main reason the club had not seen the best of the former NBA player.
Last night Storey repaid that faith, looking much more like the calibre of player fans were expecting to see.
"I just tried to stay focused, stay believing that I could get it done," Storey said.
"It took long enough to get something going and I've got to try to stay consistent with it now."
It was also a big night for Rickert, who notched a career-high 18 rebounds to go with 16 points.
Re-signing Rickert for a third season had looked a gamble after his form tailed off last season, but his form this campaign has made it look like a good piece of business.
Lemanis promoted Boucher to the starting line-up in Storey's place and the switch worked a treat, with the Breakers pouring in 35 points in the opening quarter.
After a strong start Storey provided the pop off the bench, nailing back-to- back threes, a jump shot and a lay-up for 10 quick points that kicked the Breakers clear.
Rickert was the dominant figure, however, cleaning up on the boards and shooting five of six field goals to post a double double with two minutes still remaining in the first half.
Crocodiles point guard Corey Williams was expected to be the big threat but he took himself out of the early reckoning with three fouls, meaning he played just six minutes of the opening half.
Another burst from Storey saw the lead grow to 23 before the Crocs, with Williams back at the point, charged back with a 15-5 run at the start of the final quarter to give the Breakers a serious scare.
