Breakers Wildcats pull up sore after first final

Updated April 13, 2012 18:21:20

New Zealand and Perth are sweating on the health of key players in the wake of the Breakers' victory in the first match of the NBL grand final series.

The home side prevailed 104-98 on Thursday night without their NBL All-Star swingman Thomas Abercrombie, while Wildcats forward Matthew Knight picked up a thumb injury which forced him off court during overtime.

"We need to get some scans, but right now he can't buy a trick," Wildcats coach Rob Beveridge said of Knight.

"When he does something he does it pretty good."

The left ankle Abercrombie injured in the third semi-final in Auckland became a major talking point leading into the game and is likely to remain so as the Breakers try to get him fit for game two in Perth next Friday.

"Obviously eight days gives us a bit of hope," coach Andrej Lemanis said.

"It's shown improvement each day and if it shows that same sort of improvement then hopefully he'll be able to at least contribute something."

The first final added another chapter to a sometimes fractious rivalry and Beveridge promised even more passion as they try to prevent the Breakers securing the title in game two.

"I think that we'll be a lot more consistent with our effort levels and intensity levels (in Perth)," he said.

"If we don't we're going to lose the game."

Meanwhile, Basketball Australia (BA) announced late Friday that Larry Sengstock had resigned as chief executive officer of the organisation.

He took on the job in 2009 after NBL clubs and state and territory associations passed a unanimous vote for the unification of basketball at all levels under the governance of BA.

AAP

Tags: nbl, basketball, sport, perth-6000, wa, australia, new-zealand

First posted April 13, 2012 18:21:20

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Bogut to miss Olympics

Updated April 22, 2012 13:38:03

Australia's Andrew Bogut says he is shattered to miss the London Olympics after being forced to withraw on Sunday.

NBA star Bogut will have arthroscopic surgery on the ankle he broke in January, and will not be fit enough to play for the Boomers at the Games in July.

"After seeing a specialist I have decided it would be best to get my ankle cleaned out via arthroscopic surgery," Bogut said on Twitter.

"There is simply not enough time to rehab and be fully fit for the games.

"Shattered thinking about missing the 2012 Olympics.

"They truly are a life-changing experience and something that you will always remember."

Bogut was always facing an uphill battle to be fit for London after fracturing his ankle, then being traded to Golden State Warriors, for whom he is yet to play a game.

As Australia's highest-profile basketballer and a two-time Olympian, Bogut was to be one of the cornerstones of Australian coach Brett Brown's plans for London.

While the 27-year-old's withdrawal is a blow, the Boomers do at least have strong depth in the centre's role.

European-based David Andersen will most likely shoulder the bulk of the inside responsibility in Bogut's absence.

Emerging Aleks Maric, who was outstanding for Australia in the recent Olympic qualifiers, AJ Ogilvy and Aron Baynes are also playing in Europe.

Golden State Warriors general manager Larry Riley said Bogut's surgery was likely to ensure he would be fit for the start of next NBA season, and labelled the procedure "routine".

"I characterise it as something that is as much a preventive thing than anything else," Riley told The Associated Press.

Bogut's NBA career has been blighted by injuries despite his imposing record when he has been fit for previous club Milwaukee Bucks.

The 2005 number one overall draft pick had serious elbow and wrist injuries hinder him last season, before the NBA lockout, personal issues which forced a mercy dash to Australia and his ankle injury hampered his 2011-12 campaign.

It is the second blow to Australian basketball's Olympic hopes after women's star Penny Taylor was ruled out of the Opals team for London following a serious knee injury.

AAP

Tags: basketball, sport, olympics-summer, united-states

First posted April 22, 2012 07:19:24

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Hawks come home strong to top Tigers

Updated March 18, 2012 21:39:30

Wollongong turned up the heat on Melbourne after half-time to cruise to a 71-61 victory at The Cage on Sunday night.

Hawks forward Oscar Forman scored 18 points on a dead-eye 7-of-10 shooting, 12 of those from three-point range, and retiring guard Mat Campbell added 11 points on 4-of-6 shooting.

The Tigers erased a two-point quarter-time deficit to tie things up by half-time, but Wollongong kept its nose ahead after three periods and then stormed home 20-12 in the final quarter.

Melbourne swingman Benny Lewis and big man Matthew Burston had 11 points each for the Tigers, while Tom Greer chipped in seven points and eight rebounds.

Tags: nbl, basketball, sport, melbourne-3000, vic, wollongong-2500, nsw, australia

First posted March 18, 2012 21:39:30

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Blaze enter finals with Breakers win

Updated March 25, 2012 21:48:09

Gold Coast Blaze hammered an undermanned New Zealand Breakers 94-71 in the final regular season match of the season on Sunday night.

With the minor premiership already wrapped up, Breakers coach Andrej Lemanis rested strike weapons Cedric Jackson, Gary Wilkinson, Daryl Corletto and CJ Bruton ahead of the play-offs.

In their place development players Josh Bloxham, Dion Prewster and Morgan Natanahira were called into the side.

Blaze coach Joey Wright ran his full roster to get some form ahead of the play-offs after recent losses to New Zealand and Townsville, and they punished the Breakers with a staggering 12 three-point buckets.

Guard Chris Goulding led the shooting spree with four straight triples in the first quarter on his way to 20 points, while Mark Worthington (13 points) and Adris Deleon (14) also reached double figures.

Tom Abercrombie (15) and Alex Pledger (12) toiled for the visitors, but with the depth of talent rested for the match the Breakers could never truly threaten.

But Leon Henry (11 points, nine rebounds) and Bloxham (10 points, two assists) showed glimpses of the club's future.

The game opened as a three-point shootout with Goulding - promoted to the starting line-up - burying three-consecutive long bombs on his way to 14 points for the quarter.

Worthington added 12 including two triples to hand the Blaze a 31-23 advantage at the first break.

Deleon caught fire in the second term, peeling off 10 quickfire points to set up a commanding 55-34 half-time lead.

The young Breakers showed some pluck in the third quarter as the Blaze took the foot off the pedal, winning the term 22-15, before rallying in the final quarter with a 9-0 run to seal the win.

Gold Coast (third) travels to Perth (second) for its first play-off match on Sunday while New Zealand (first) hosts Townsville (fourth) in Auckland on Friday.

AAP

Tags: nbl, basketball, sport, broadbeach-4218, qld, australia

First posted March 25, 2012 21:48:09

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Hawks farewell Campbell in style

Updated March 25, 2012 21:36:30

Wollongong gave its inspirational captain Mat Campbell a deserving farewell in his final NBL game, chalking up a 92-78 win over the Adelaide 36ers on Sunday.

The Hawks unleashed a phenomenal 9-of-15 three-point shooting display in the first half, sending Campbell off with a string of three wins and deferring the wooden spoon to Adelaide in the process.

Elsewhere, Gold Coast (17-11) completed a confidence-boosting home 94-71 home win over New Zealand (21-7).

The Breakers were scorched by a Blaze team that shot at 63 per cent from three-point territory.

A crowd of 5,032 flocked to the Sandpit to celebrate the career of their leader who reciprocated with six points and four assists, his final score coming off a trademark fallaway jumper.

"I was a bit emotional at the start and I really wanted to focus on the game tonight," Campbell said.

"It was really important for me to win the game, I didn't want to go out on a losing note, especially with the wooden spoon up for grabs.

"I was trying to block out all that emotional stuff, but ... it was something special."

Oscar Forman (22 points) and Larry Davidson (16 points) led the way for the Hawks, while Stephen Weigh (15 points) and Daniel Johnson (14 points) topped the 36ers.

Campbell got into the action early with a driving lay-up, the rest of the Hawks then swooped with three-pointers by Forman, Davidson and Ayinde Ubaka pushing the score to 15-4.

Wollongong featured eight scorers as they claimed the opening quarter 31-19, while Johnson and Diamon Simpson accounted for nine of Adelaide's points.

The 36ers crept within 10 points on a three from Weigh, but another flood of triples by Rhys Martin, Tim Coenraad and Glen Saville secured a commanding 59-38 half-time lead for the Hawks.

Adelaide took the third 15-12 as the scoring pace slowed down, leaving Wollongong with a 71-53 buffer to protect in the final quarter.

The 36ers threatened with a 6-0 run to pull within 12, but were quickly stifled when Forman knocked down his fifth triple to shut down his former team.

Campbell was presented with a key to the city of Wollongong by Lord Mayor Gordon Bradbery prior to tip-off.

He was subbed with just over a minute to play and was saluted to a deafening standing ovation as he exited the floor for the final time.

AAP

Tags: nbl, basketball, sport, wollongong-2500, nsw, australia

First posted March 25, 2012 19:56:33

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Wildcats go one-up in Blaze series

Updated April 01, 2012 21:39:53

Gold Coast stars Adris DeLeon and Anthony Petrie both had big nights but it was not enough to get past the Wildcats as the Blaze went down 85-70 in Perth on Sunday evening.

The home side won the first three quarters and came into the final period with a 17-point advantage which proved far too great for the Blaze to overcome.

DeLeon's 23 points came on an inefficient 8-of-19 shooting whilst Petrie (8-of-17) was little better as league MVP Kevin Lisch poured in 20 of his own on just eight field goal attempts to go along with seven assists.

Lisch had scoring support from team-mates Jesse Wagstaff (16 points, five rebounds, four assists) and Luke Nevill (14, six rebounds).

Gold Coast struggled from long range, making just 7-of-26 from three-point range, and was outscored in the paint as the Wildcats bigs went to work down low.

The Blaze were also left hurting by the Perth defence, giving up eight points from 14 turnovers.

The series now shifts back to the south-east Queensland tourist strip where Gold Coast will look to level up the series on Saturday night.

Tags: sport, basketball, perth-6000, wa, surfers-paradise-4217, australia

First posted April 01, 2012 20:27:15

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Opals lose Penny Taylor for Olympics

Updated April 11, 2012 12:33:30

Australian basketball coach Carrie Graf has described the loss of Penny Taylor to injury as a devastating blow to the country's Olympic hopes.

Basketball Australia this morning confirmed Taylor will miss the London Games with an anterior cruciate ligament injury.

The 30-year-old will have an operation in Melbourne next week and will miss the rest of the year.

"It's a devastating blow to our team and certainly to Penny herself as an athlete," Graf said.

"You know she was going to her third Olympic Games, she's a legitimate world superstar player and a huge part of her campaign, so devastating for Penny and certainly a big blow to our team."

Taylor injured her knee playing for her Turkish club Fenerbahce in the EuroLeague.

Scans have shown she has torn her anterior cruciate ligament and will have to undergo surgery.

The 30-year-old has been part of every major Australian women's basketball success for the past decade, including their 2006 world championship win and Olympic silver medals in Athens and Beijing.

Taylor has also won an American WNBA championship with the Phoenix Mercury.

The Victorian would have been a certain selection in the Opals' final 12 for London, which would have been her third Olympic Games.

Taylor's injury will also rule her out of the Mercury's upcoming WNBA season starting next month.

She has been in superb club form, recently being named European player of the year for 2011 by respected web site Eurobasket.com after averaging more than 19 points a game for Fenerbahce.

AAP

Tags: sport, olympics-summer, basketball, australia, united-kingdom

First posted April 11, 2012 08:05:25

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