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Breakers big man Rick Rickert - Source: Photosport -
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The Breakers have put their recent fourth-quarter fade-outs
behind them with an impressive come-from-behind 92-85 victory over
the Adelaide 36ers at the Distinctive Homes Dome.
The North Shore club trailed by as many as 17 points in the second
half and appeared dead in the water against an Adelaide side which
was sinking the clutch buckets.
But the Breakers pressed hard with their defence and were deadly
from outside the arc to outscore the Sixers 33-11 in the final
period.
Adelaide had chances to regain the lead late - including two missed
shots from the line from John Gilchrist - but the Breakers deserved
the win.
The result would come as a massive relief for the visitors who have
led their past two matches handsomely before surrendering the
advantage in the end.
Adelaide has now lost four matches in a row.
A passionate Rick Rickert top scored with 22 points, Kirk Penney
finished with 19, including some pressure buckets late, while CJ
Bruton chimed in with 14.
Gilchrist was the best for the Sixers with 20 points, Adam
Ballinger was solid with 16 points while Darren Ng collected
14.
Adelaide made a shaky start with missed shots and a case of the
fumbles forcing Scott Ninnis to call a time-out after five minutes
with his team down 3-10 against the Rickert-led Breakers.
But the home side rallied with the energy of Gilchrist and some
good positioning from Matt Burston helping to change the
momentum.
The Sixers momentarily took the lead before Tony Ronaldson sunk a
three in the final minute of the first quarter to give his side a
22-21 lead.
It was the Breakers feeling the pressure in the second period with
the home side getting the crowd behind it with a flurry of buckets.
Adelaide opened a small lead and managed to keep the opposition at
bay throughout the stanza - a Gilchrist move from the back court to
the ring giving his team a 45-39 half-time advantage.
An early Jacob Holmes basket extended the Sixers' buffer but it was
game-on as both teams started to click offensively.
The Breakers were keeping tight in defence too but the Sixers were
up to the challenge, producing a number of quality buckets under
pressure. A Burston finger roll and a Ballinger jumper beat the
shot clock.
Gilchrist then pulled off a solo act when the Breakers had set
their defence while Ng pulled the trigger from long range.
Adelaide went on a 14-2 run before Ronaldson broke the drought for
the visitors. Still the Sixers were in a commanding position with
the scoreboard reading 74-59. Penney and Ng put up successful shots
for their teams in the opening moments of the fourth quarter but
from that point it was all the Breakers.
Some extra pressure on the ball carrier and some eyeballing of the
other opponents saw the Sixers crack and the visitors swoop.
Consecutive three-pointers from Ronaldson and a pair from
outside
the arc by Tom Abercrombie gave New Zealand all the momentum.
Adelaide could only manage 11 points in the fourth quarter and that
was never going to be enough.
The Breakers now hold a 50 percent win/loss record and returns home
to host Townsville next Thursday while the Sixers are 7-8 and are
at home to the Gold Coast next Wednesday.
