Breakers need to hold their nerve

BY MARC HINTON

The Breakers know the formula against the Townsville Crocodiles tonight, they've just got to be good enough to execute it for a third straight match against the North Queenslanders.

It goes something like this – don't let freewheeling point guard Corey Williams get to the hoop and close out on those spot-up three-point shooters.

Simple. It was what got the Breakers up 92-82 at home against the Crocs in October and 85-73 last month across the Tasman. A similar result tonight will not only see the 8-8 New Zealanders leapfrog the 9-8 Crocs into fourth spot on the standings, but own the season series against them.

It's all highly promising, especially for a team that has lost its last two home matches, and needed a miracle last quarter in Adelaide last Saturday to avoid a third straight loss.

But that's the Australian NBL for you this year.

Everybody is beating everybody consistently enough that the league seems set for a grandstand finish to find the four teams for the post-season.

At this stage it's anybody's game, with only the Melbourne Tigers in danger of being spat out the back door with their four-win 10-loss record.

Still, the Breakers can ill afford another hiccup now, especially at home where they've already lost three times this season.

After tonight's game, seven of their last 11 games will be on the road, and the NSEC matches pretty much have to be banked from here on in.

Coach Andrej Lemanis said his side had made a good fist of limiting Williams' ability to cause havoc with his to-the-basket game in the two previous encounters, and that was a must again tonight.

"We've done a good job of packing the lanes and not allowing him a free run at the basket, as well as minimising the number of three-point shots they've been able to make."

Staying in front of ball-handlers has not exactly been the Breakers' forte in recent weeks, but with Williams not especially lethal from deep, the defenders have the latitude of some extra room they don't get with other one guards in the league.

Despite those back-to-back NSEC defeats, prior to Saturday's come-from-behind win in Adelaide, Lemanis feels his men head into their last home match, until January 14, in a reasonable frame of mind.

That's helped by a 33-11 final term in Adelaide that saw them storm back from a 15-point three-quarter deficit to post their best quarter for the season.

"We did a good job of getting after it in that fourth quarter, and staying committed to an aggressive style defence is certainly something we've spoken about," he said.

"Obviously you don't want to be dropping games at home, but we've been in a position to win those last two games, so it's not like we're getting blown out."

The Breakers had a minor scare at training yesterday when centre Rick Rickert went to hospital to get a cut above his eye stitched.

Backup Alex Pledger is laid low with a virus and will not play, but Lemanis confirmed Rickert would be fine for tonight.

HOW THEY LINE UP

NZ Breakers: Thomas Abercrombie, Dillon Boucher, CJ Bruton, Oscar Forman, Paul Henare, Kirk Penney, Rick Rickert, John Rillie, Tony Ronaldson, Jeremiah Trueman, Corey Webster
Townsville Crocodiles: Michael Cedar, Peter Crawford, Jeff Dowdall, Russell Hinder, Stephen Hoare, Rolan Roberts, Kelvin Robertson, Cameron Tovey, Corey Williams, Brad Williamson

Where: North Shore Events Centre
TV: Maori TV, 8.30pm tonight

- © Fairfax NZ News