Breakers defeat 36ers, 99 – 90
The 36ers seem to have found a Diamon in the rough, and boy are they happy about it.
Diamon Simpson, the new import for the 36ers is proving his worth and with a few games under his belt is feeling more comfortable in his new surroundings and with his new team mates.
The former St Mary’s College all time leader in almost every statistical category has brought his polish to the NBL, and with his 20pts and 8reb lead the way for the 36ers against the dynamic and league leading Breakers.
Daniel Johnson after his player of the week performance against the Wildcats was again an integral part of keeping the 36ers in the game but was less than impressive after the show he put on last week and had 10pts 4reb but also dished out 3ast.
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| Spot the difference |
Stevie Weigh continued his form with his new club and again put up double figure points with 12pts and Chris Warren with his 17pts was the other player to light up the 36ers offence but also had a team high 4 turnovers.
The Breakers, well they played exactly like everyone expected them to and were again dominant, lead by the Brian Scalabrine’s doppelganger Gary Wilkinson.
Wilkinson has been the driving force behind the Breaker machine with his play and has lead the Breakers to their number 1 spot on the ladder, in this game he announced he too deserves to be included in the MVP race with another great performance of 29pts 9reb.
Cedric Jackson is proving he could be the import pickup of the year and seems to be getting better the more he adjusts to his new team mates and the NBL style of play, his 16pts and 11ast was only bettered by Thomas Abercrombie points wise who had 17 of his own and allowed a spread of scorers for the Breakers including Darryl Corletto with 14pts and big man Alex Pledger with 10.
Probably the most amazing stat for the game was the fact that CJ Bruton, once the most prolific scorer in the league had zero, we repeat zero points for the game, not something likely to happen often or even again, but it is proving the veteran is slowing down and can be held to a low score.
The Breakers are legit again this year, after getting over the choker hoodoo that has hung over their heads for many years after being held as title favourites many times before, winning the title last season it seems the taste of winning hasn’t worn off and the boys from across the pond are ready to ask “please sir, can I have some more”.
Tigers demolish the Kings, 94 – 76
Its official, Julian Khazzouh is human, maybe not on the boards, but offensively, he can be held to under 20pts a game, and the Tigers on this night were JK’s kryptonite.
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| Even with two superheroes the Kings have struggled |
What most fail to realise is the impact of his front court counterpart Jerai Grant and his pairing with Khazzouh has provided, Grant, while not an offensive juggernaut just yet is locking down the low post area and creating mismatch problems for opposing front lines, not only do you have to deal with his athleticism, rebounding and shot blocking, but you have to deal with it on top of what Khazzouh already provides, scary front court duo, you better believe it, it’s like having to play against Superman and Batman on a nightly basis.
What is the best sign for the Kings is the play of Aaron Bruce as their starting point guard, Bruce is playing to the level hoop fans expected after a stellar career at Baylor in the NCAA.
Bruce lead the team offensively with 25pts on the night, outscoring even the Tigers scoring machine and league leader in points per game Patty Mills.
Bruce was helped by 13pts and 16 big rebounds from Julian Khazzouh, of those 16reb Khazzouh didn’t discriminate between offence and defence, grabbing 8 on each end, Kevin Ratzsch was solid in this game with his 14pts and 8reb to provide a total front court rebounding number of 33 between him, JK and Grant, not bad for any front line.
Signs are good for the Kings, all that is needed now is to get those wins on the board, its coming, just give it time Sydney fans.
The Tigers played how everyone expected, lead in scoring by Patty Mills along with contributions by Cam Tragardh and Ayinde Ubaka, not much more can be said that hasn’t already been said in the wrap up of previous weeks, it’s almost like a script of Neighbours or Home and Away, you know what to expect every week.
Regardless of that though it doesn’t make them any less exciting to watch, you know who the ball is going to, and you know who is going to do the scoring, Mills had a team high of 20pts and funny enough showed he may have the point guard skills everyone has hoped for and had 8 dimes, you heard right, he had 8 dimes, more than Ubaka which is a rare occasion.
Ubaka did what he does well and plays a combination in the back court of ball handler and off ball shooter with Mills and he swapping those roles as the game dictates, he had 12pts and 6ast of his own and was the 3rd double digit scorer along with Mills and Tragardh who also had 15pts of his own.
The Tigers are now solidly entrenched as equal second with the Wildcats on the ladder, how long and if they can stay at that level is questionable, but after last year’s debacle of a season, Tigers fans have positive signs that this season will not be a repeat of the last.
Wildcats take down the Hawks, 87 – 71
It was a tale of triple 13’s for the Hawks, 3 players equal top scored with 13pts a piece for the Hawks, not a set of numbers we have ever seen on a scoresheet, why is it significant, well it isn’t, we just sometimes like to point out the obvious, it’s how we roll.
The play of the man with probably the best hoop name in the NBL this year Joevan Catron was what Hawks fans were looking forward to, along with the inclusion of new import point guard Showron Glover into the regular rotation.
Glover has some of the best handles of any player seen in the NBL for many years and has the speed and control to make you say “wow, those are some sick handles” when watching him live, he and Catron give the Hawks a good import combo to be excited about.
Catron and Glover were 2 of the players in the 13pt club along with the Hawks veteran Matt Campbell, what was amazing for Catron though was that after last weeks showing, he unbelievably had zero rebounds and was having a hard time against the Wildcats frontline, who threw Luke Nevill, Matt Knight and Jesse Wagstaff at him, not something any frontcourt player would hope to see on any given night.
Sav did most of the rebounding for the Hawks and lead the team with 9 for the game, but the amazing stat of only 8 assists for the Hawks as a team was the most shocking considering how well they were moving the ball around the perimeter and getting open looks.
The Wildcats, after last week’s shock loss to the 36ers had something to prove and wanted to show they were still one of the teams to be considered for the spot in the finals, and while in the first half their execution wasn’t what was hoped for, they did control the game and kept the Hawks from getting settled.
The loss of Damien Martin seemed to have rattled the Cats the week before, but no longer, with training player Everard Bartlett elevated to the playing roster as another ball handler and guard, the youngster didn’t disappoint and was given some good playing time.
Kevin Lisch was almost back to his usual self, and while 17pts 6ast is a good night for most players, for Lisch it at times can seem subpar considering the level he has been playing at, what was a rare occurrence was the 6 turnovers he had, for a player who is known for his ball security and poise under pressure, the stat is not something he will be proud of or something likely to be seen again.
Brad “Angry Ant” Robbins, or Robbo for short was the motivator of the team in this game, perhaps inspired by the release of the new “Angry Ant” comic T-Shirt which he rocked during the week, Robbo brought his offensive production to a new level with Martin out and had 16pts 6ast and a Martin like 6 steals.
The big men up front controlled the game though, Matt Knight was superb defensively and on the boards, something that proves what he can do when healthy, he and Luke Nevill controlled the game and Nevill showed great hands around the rim getting hold of pin point passes and executing down low, Nevill had a season high 13pts to go with his 5reb, and Knight, while not producing his usual offensive numbers was big on the boards with 10 and provided the block of the night.
The Wildcats were not executing offensively as well as what fans at the jungle expect, but came out with a solid win against quality opposition, is this something that the rest of the league should be worried about, more than likely, because when the Cats get it together, you can believe they are not someone you want to be seeing as an upcoming game on your schedule, this is a warning to the league, the Cats are coming and they are only getting better.
Tigers tame Taipans, 80 – 63
Showing no signs of fatigue the Tigers got to work against the Taipans, essentially stopping them in their tracks. Maybe more true to the fact is that the Taipans unit flew south and put up a very lacklustre performance against a team who had played on the road two nights ago and headed home. Either way this is an embarrassing result for the snakes.
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| Some Tigers were flopping like it was a poker table |
Fans got to see the other side of Patty Mills tonight, the side that requires a lot of shots but with no streak. Shooting a meagre 25% the Patty Mills happy fun time hour failed to show and in its place the fans were treated to The Tonight Show with Cam Tragardh. Tragardh scored an efficient 17 points and grabbed 9 boards, Lucas Walker and Tommy Greer were the live band to support host Tragardh, Tommy and Lucas finished with 13 points apiece. Mills had to settle for a secondary role with 10 assists, enough to silence his critics for a week or two. Aussie talent got the Tigers this game with the imports responsible for 11 points and 7 turnovers.
Cairns did themselves no favours scoring a weak nine points in the first quarter though more alarming is that the Snakes defence allowed 29 points, and it could have been worse if Bennie Lewis wasn’t missing everything at the end of the of the first. By the time the Taipans had kicked into gear the Tigers had eased off, the game had already been decided.
Jamar Wilson continues to make strides in the leagie. J-Will scored 19 points and grabbed six boards, Alex Loughton fumbled around for 12 points whilst Andrew Crosswhite managed 10. Cairns are making a habit of visiting the stock exchange.
Can’t Buy A Damn Thing Award
Cairns were terrible from the floor managing 32% as a team shooting 23 from 73 from the field. The top three scorers mentioned earlier weren’t overly efficient but the rest of the team were disgraceful. The Taipans not names Jamar Wilson, Alex Loughton or Andrew Crosswhite combined for 8 from 39 from the field, a crummy 20%. Basketball is a team game and when the team puts up this sort of junk, it just stinks. Get this trash out of our face.
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| How opposing point guards see Robbo |
Ubaka’s dismal performance in this game should not go unnoticed either. 2 points, three assists and four turnovers in 22 minutes is unacceptable for a top tier import.
Gimme My Change Award
Brad Robbin’s had the kind of game no one ever expects him to and he did finish with 6 assists, 6 steals and 16 points at 88% from the field, but the Angry Ant gets the nod this week for a particular passage of play.
With the game within two points almost midway through the final quarter Robbo unleashed. In a three and a half minute passage of play Robbo ignited for three steals, three assists and two points, blowing the lead out to 14 in that time. The Hawks were frustrated by Robbo’s pressure and it took them out of the game.
