Parker Jackson-Cartwright continued his strong form for the NZ Breakers. Photo / Photosport
NZ Breakers 88
Illawarra Hawks 85
With great power comes great responsibility.
Throughout the NBL season, Breakers’ import point guard Parker Jackson-Cartwright has been a star — using his speed with ball in hand, ability to accelerate without notice, shooting touch and pure hustle to impact winning.
With Friday night’s game against the Hawks a vital stop on their journey if it is to continue into the playoffs, he showed the way.
Jackson-Cartwright scored 31 points to lead the Breakers to an 88-85 win at Spark Arena — a win that lifted the side from seventh to fourth on the NBL ladder.
Such is the theme of this season’s competition. With only three of the league’s 10 teams with a winning record in the penultimate week of the regular season, small margins will decide how the playoffs shape up.
The clash with the Hawks was the Breakers’ first game since losing Anthony Lamb for the remainder of the season to an Achilles injury, and there were questions coming into the contest as to who would be able to pick up the additional consistent scoring alongside Jackson-Cartwright.
Will McDowell-White didn’t wait long to quell those concerns.
Inserted into the starting lineup with Lamb absent, McDowell-White started strong both as the primary ball-handler alongside Jackson-Cartwright and a scoring threat.
The Breakers made a strong start with back-to-back baskets from distance, but the Hawks soon found their way into the contest. Neither team found a way to get a meaningful lead in the period, but a late three from Justin Robinson put the Hawks ahead at the end of a tense stanza.
It was Mantas Rubstavicius who got the hosts going in the second period, looking more and more confident with every game and flashing a much-needed shooting touch. He does, however, have the tendency to let emotion get the better of him at times, and a couple of frustration fouls saw him forced to take a seat late in the half.
It was a familiar case for the Breakers, as they trailed by one at halftime. The hosts were shooting significantly better than the Hawks, making 45 per cent of their shots to the Hawks’ 36, but they allowed the Hawks to take 13 shots from the free throw line — making nine. The Breakers themselves earned only three (making two), which kept the Hawks ahead as Illawarra big man Sam Froling snuck in for a layup on the buzzer.
But cometh the hour, cometh the man.
After some early baskets from McDowell-White, Mangok Mathiang and Izayah Le’afa, Jackson-Cartwright took over.
Scoring 10 points in the third, then eight in the fourth, Jackson-Cartwright led the side to a crucial win and — for now — a hosting spot in the play-in round.
NZ Breakers 88 (Parker Jackson-Cartwright 31 points, Will McDowell-White 16)
Illawarra Hawks 85 (Tyler Harvey 22 points, Sam Froling 16)
1Q: 18-21. HT: 41-42. 3Q: 68-61.
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