Breakers stutter to Crocs win

Updated February 23, 2012 21:02:28

The New Zealand Breakers extended its lead at the top of the NBL ladder on Thursday night with a stop-start 81-70 win over the Townsville Crocodiles in Auckland.

The victory came on the back of a strong all-round shooting performance from the Breakers, led by Gary Wilkinson's 22-point, 10-rebound double-double.

Point guard Cedric Jackson provided invaluable support with 18 points and seven assists, while Tom Abercrombie had another strong game, picking up seven rebounds to go with his 18 points.

Guard Eddie Gill topped the scoring for the Crocodiles, picking up 16, while forward Jacob Holmes managed 15.

The competition leaders were all business right from the first whistle. Jackson was everywhere, picking up steals, assists and points with apparent ease while Wilkinson, Abercrombie and CJ Bruton slotted confidence-boosting early three-pointers.

Running hot, the Breakers ended an up-tempo first quarter 29-15 ahead, dominating the offensive boards and running a smothering defence that shut down the third-placed Australians.

Guard Eddie Gill stepped up for the Crocs in the second spell as the Townsville attack finally started to run at the Breakers.

New Zealand's intensity disappeared and their lead eroded gradually, Crocs swingman Peter Crawford sinking a three-pointer right on the halftime buzzer to haul back the Breakers' lead to 46-38 at the break.

The Crocs maintained momentum in the third stanza, Elvin Mimms putting in some excellent work on the offensive boards as the visitors matched the Breakers basket for basket and shaded them 18-17 to go into the last quarter trailing by nine.

The home team continued to struggle for consistency in the final spell, although their stuttering attack finally looked to have sparked into life thanks to a deep three-pointer from Jackson which extended their lead to 10 with six minutes remaining.

But the Crocs battled back, narrowing the lead to just two with less than three minutes left only to see the Breakers regroup, up the defensive pressure and shut out the win in sinking the last eight points of the match.

AAP

Tags: nbl, basketball, sport, new-zealand

First posted February 23, 2012 21:01:10

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Bogut's Olympics future hinges on ankle scans

Updated March 16, 2012 15:40:39

Australian basketball star Andrew Bogut's Olympic Games fate is set to be decided in the next three weeks.

Scans on the ankle Bogut broke in late January will determine whether he is any chance of playing for his new club Golden State Warriors this season, and his hopes of representing his country in London.

Bogut, who was traded from Milwaukee to Golden State in a blockbuster move this week, admits it will be a tough ask for him to play in the NBA this season regardless of how well his injury is healing.

A favourable scan means he should be fit in time for London.

But any complications, and Australia's highest profile basketballer faces an uphill battle to be at his peak for July's Games.

Regardless of the scan results, Bogut believes the Warriors are more likely to hold him back for 2012-13 rather than risk him in a handful of late-season games which may not matter.

"The last thing they'll want to do is rush me back to play in a couple of games," Bogut said.

"I've got to have scans at the eight-week point after I broke my ankle.

"If the scan goes well, and we make the playoffs, I could definitely be back.

"If the scan says we want you in the (moon) boot for another three or four weeks or they don't want me resuming too quick, it will come down to missing the season."

Bogut admits a season in which he has dealt with the NBA lockout, personal issues which forced a mercy dash to Australia once the season started, his latest injury and now his trade meant he had not thought much about the Olympics.

But if given the medical all-clear, Bogut is confident he can prepare solidly for London even without having played since January 25.

"It's a tough question to answer right now. To be honest, I haven't given it a whole lot of thought," Bogut said of whether he would be fit for Australia's Games campaign.

"Without talking myself up, I think I'm as professional as they come.

"I have my own workout and training facility in Melbourne, I'd be rehabbing and training like I would for any other event, and we have enough lead-up games to the Olympics to get ourselves ready."

Bogut completed medical checks with the Warriors on Thursday, and met his new team-mates and key club officials.

He will be presented to Warriors fans at the team's game on Saturday (AEDT) - against his old club Milwaukee.

Bogut joined the Bucks in 2005 - the first Australian to be selected at number one in the NBA draft.

The 27-year-old said he had experienced mixed emotions since finding out about his move, but was now relishing the prospect.

The California-based Warriors are thrilled with snaring Bogut, and are likely to build their team around him once he returns to full fitness.

"When I first heard the news I was excited. It's a franchise on the way up, a new city to live in, it's only one flight from Australia rather than two," he said.

"Then the next day when I started packing, I was sad because the Milwaukee Bucks are all I know in the NBA.

"Saying goodbye to the city where I spent my whole career, to the fans, it was tough.

"I've made a lot of great friends there, but at the same time, I'm excited about the journey that lies ahead."

AAP

Tags: sport, basketball, australia, united-states

First posted March 16, 2012 15:40:39

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Worthington leads as Blaze down Taipans

Updated January 29, 2012 22:41:47

The Gold Coast Blaze recorded a dominant 76-49 home win over the Cairns Taipans on Sunday night.

The Blaze produced their most lethal display to date to leapfrog Cairns into fourth spot.

In stark contrast, the Taipans were miserable as they crashed to the lowest score of any team so far this season.

"We should be pretty embarrassed by that. We were disgraceful," shell-shocked Taipans coach Aaron Fearne said.

It was a win built on defence as the Blaze shut down every Taipans option, dominated the paint (30-22), the rebounds (42-27) and ultimately the scoreboard.

Boomer Mark Worthington was the main destroyer with a game-high 17 points, seven rebounds, two steals and a block, while international team-mate Adam Gibson contributed 10 points, six boards, four assists and three steals.

Only Alex Loughton (12) could trouble the scoreboard for Cairns.

"Cairns are one of the teams that run their offence better than any other team," Blaze coach Joey Wright said.

"If you can push these guys out of their offence, you've done a good job."

AAP

Tags: nbl, basketball, sport, qld, southport-4215, australia, cairns-4870

First posted January 29, 2012 22:41:47

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Kings coach shifted to CEO

Updated February 16, 2012 18:07:40

Ian Robilliard has been stood down as Sydney Kings coach and been appointed interim chief executive officer in an organisational reshuffle at the club.

Robilliard, who had coached the club since their re-admission into the competition for the 2010-11 season, stood down from the post on Thursday and assumed the role of interim chief executive after the departure of executive director Stephen Dunn.

The Kings finished last in their first season back and are virtually out of contention for this season's play-offs, with a 8-13 record that has them running seventh out of nine clubs.

Robilliard's coaching contract expired at the end of the season.

Tim Hudson, Robilliard's assistant coach this season, will act as head coach for the Kings' clash away to Perth on Sunday.

The club is hopeful of appointing a permanent coach by the time of their next game at home to Townsville on Sunday week.

AAP

Tags: nbl, basketball, sport, sydney-2000

First posted February 16, 2012 18:07:40

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Rangers advance to prelim final

Updated February 26, 2012 18:28:14

The Rangers overturned a seven-point deficit in the last quarter to defeat Townsville 77-66 in the WNBL minor semi-final in Dandenong.

The hosts trailed 65-58 with just over seven minutes to go, but outscored the fading Fire 19-1 over the remainder of the game, notching the last 13 points.

The Rangers, who have won seven straight games, will play the preliminary final against minor premier Adelaide, which they beat by 20 and 31-point margins in their past two encounters.

The Fire, coming off a midweek elimination final home win over Sydney, missed their last nine field goal attempts.

Jenna O'Hea topscored for the Rangers with 24, but it was Canadian centre Krista Phillips who shone brightest for the home team.

She tallied 17 points, 14 rebounds and three blocks.

Phillips also shut down Shanavia Dowdell after half-time, the American scoring just two of her 16 points after the long break.

With Dowdell and Jess Foley (six points from two of 11 field goal attempts) struggling, it was teenager forward Nadeen Payne who kept the Fire competitive.

The Australian junior representative scored 18 points in just under 22 minutes.

The Rangers led by three at the first break and one at half-time.

There were seven lead changes in the first three and a half minutes of the third quarter before the Fire logged nine straight points and led by six at three-quarter time.

AAP

Tags: wnbl, basketball, sport, dandenong-3175

First posted February 26, 2012 18:28:14

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Breakers go top with Wildcats win

Updated February 02, 2012 20:49:19

A decisive third quarter took New Zealand to an 83-77 win over Perth and lifted the Breakers to outright first in the NBL.

Victory in the top-of-the-table clash in Auckland was the Breakers' fifth in a row and improves the defending champions' win-loss record to 15-5.

The Wildcats drop to 14-6, while the result leaves the two sides at 1-1 ahead of their series decider in Perth in early March.

The Breakers shared the scoring around, with five players in double figures, led by Gary Wilkinson with 18.

Cedric Jackson got 15 points, as well as 10 assists, while Mika Vukona also compiled a double-double with 11 points and 10 rebounds.

For Perth, Kevin Lisch top-scored with 20, while Shawn Redhage (15) and Luke Nevill (14) also got into double figures.

However, the in-form Jesse Wagstaff, who had a game-high 23 points when the Wildcats beat the Breakers 86-62 in Perth the last time the two sides met, had an off night with just two points in one-from-12 shooting.

In front of their fifth successive sellout crowd in Auckland, the Breakers produced a run of 17 unanswered points in the third quarter.

With Wilkinson, CJ Bruton and Jackson all draining three-pointers, the Breakers jumped from 46-45 down to hold a 62-49 advantage.

Their momentum was halted by a technical foul called on Tom Abercrombie, but they still went into the final period with a 66-54 lead.

Perth never gave up and there were a few nervous moments for the home fans near the end.

A Damian Martin basket reduced the margin to single digits.

When Redhage followed up seconds later with another two-pointer, it was a six-point ball game with 68 seconds to go, but that was as close as Perth got.

Earlier, on the back of some accurate shooting, the Breakers jumped out to a 34-24 first-quarter lead.

But the Wildcats, with Martin a dominant figure, upped their intensity in the second quarter, as the Breakers struggled with the visitors' offensive transition.

Three successive baskets from Nevill put the Wildcats in front and they were still there at the main break, up 44-42.

AAP

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

First posted February 02, 2012 20:43:07

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Breakers extend ladder lead

Updated February 16, 2012 22:52:28

New Zealand Breakers have gone two wins clear at the top of the ladder after a hard-fought 82-74 victory over Wollongong Hawks in Auckland.

But, second-placed Perth Wildcats, who have played one game fewer, can cut that gap back to one when they host Sydney Kings on Sunday.

Breakers forward Tom Abercrombie led all scorers with 25 points, including 12 in a decisive final quarter, when the home side finally pulled clear.

Team-mate Cedric Jackson added 20 points as well as 10 rebounds, while Joevan Catron topped the scoring for the Hawks with 14.

The home side put the clamps on former Breaker Oscar Forman, who had got a career-high 29 points against them when the struggling Hawks pulled of a 80-64 upset in Wollongong last Saturday.

Forman managed only five points on his return to the North Shore Events Centre, the first of them not until well into the fourth quarter.

While the victory was some revenge for the defending champions, they still lost the season series to Wollongong for the third straight year, the Hawks prevailing on countback after the teams finished 2-2.

The match see-sawed from the start and the visitors took the lead into the first break thanks to a Tyson Demos three-pointer in the final scoring play.

Both teams were guilty of failing to convert easy opportunities as the Hawks managed to hang on for a 40-38 half-time lead.

In the third quarter, the teams continued to go tit for tat on the scoreboard, as exemplified by Demos sinking a three-pointer, only for CJ Bruton to respond immediately with one of his own.

Ahead 56-54 going into the final period, the Breakers increased their defensive pressure and finally began to draw away.

When Abercrombie landed his only triple of the night with three minutes and 34 seconds to go, the Breakers had their biggest lead of the game of 11 points.

AAP

Tags: nbl, basketball, sport, australia, new-zealand

First posted February 16, 2012 22:52:28

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