Stat Line

Points   G.Ervin 22 (ADL), R.Te Rangi 22 (NZB), J.Frye 18 (ADL)

Rebounds   A.Pledger 7 (NZB), K.Johnson 7 (NZB), A.Petrie 6 (ADL)

Assists  K.Johnson 8 (NZB), G.Ervin 6 (ADL), C.Bruton 4 (NZB)

Steals    J.Frye 2 (ADL), C.Bruton 2 (NZB), several with 1

Blocks   several with 1

How It Unfolded

Ah, bollocks. Dropped another one. It was a game in which the Breakers held close, but barely controlled. Adelaide came out strong in defence and the kiwi team were made to rue a number of early turnovers and general sloppiness in possession. This is a strong 36ers side, with former League MVP Gary Ervin, import Jarrid Frye and a couple of Aussie internationals to boot. They’re not to be taken lightly and they proved it.  

The Breakers really exacerbated things by shooting poorly, and taking bad options. Reuben Te Rangi shot nothing but bricks from further than 5 yards, and botched what would have been a highlight reel alley-oop from Kerron (watch this space, though…). Then to make things worse, NZBs transitional defence went AWOL, as the 36ers punished them with fast breaks. There was one beautiful moment, as Gary Wilkinson spun off his marker and landed a mid-range fade-away – his first shot in his return.

Then things got real ugly. Vukona, no doubt fed up with his team’s lack of aggression, absolutely demolished Mitch Creek as he went for a layup on the break, earning him a flagrant foul. Former Breaker BJ Antony (with his dad in the crowd) took offence, and got right in Mika’s face. Teammates and officials tried to split them up, but Vukona went in for another round of verbal assault. Both received flagrants for the afters; both were ejected. This was a major controversy, but to be fair, though the loss was greater for the Breakers, it was warranted on our part. Vukona should never have gotten involved. All he did was get one of his side’s best defenders sent off. BJ Anthony, meanwhile, can count himself unlucky. For some reason, one of the refs convinced the others that either the incident was ignored, or both players needed to be ejected. Yet Anthony only had one flagrant. He didn’t get an in-play foul like Vukona did. Adelaide coach Joey Wright was (w)rightfully furious, and he let poor lil’ Dennis Katsanos hear it in the halftime TV interview. Katsanos must have felt like he was stepping into the ring with a hungry Mike Tyson who’d been fed nothing but human flesh for a month. (He covered it well though, ever the professional).

It’s hard to say if Vukona’s ejection cost his team the game. Probably not – they still had their chances. But with Abercrombie and Wilkinson in foul trouble too, it left them down to the bare bones of their roster. After such a terrible first half of shooting, suddenly Reuben Te Rangi got hot, and with defenders not even bothering to mark him, he started burying wide open 3 pointers all in a row, as this turned into the youngster’s best game as a pro. Corey Webster came up big in the 4th Q too, getting minutes alongside Kerron Johnson, whose own penetrative and explosive game was causing trouble for Adelaide. The comeback was on, and the Breakers took their first lead of the game by a Reuben Te Rangi 2-pointer with 3:54 to go in the contest. It wasn’t to be – a careless Kerron lob pass to Pledger in double coverage with only about 50 secs to go allowed Adelaide to open up a two score advantage, and though Abercrombie hit a clutch treble, the 36ers defence was too strong, as the Breakers whiffed on a final play Hail Mary shot. NZB to 1-4 – still at the foot of the table (though still early days).

Stocks Up

Reuben Te Rangi. A real breakout game for the 19 year old in his first season as a pro (having been a development player previously). He put up a career high points total of 22, showing nice touch and strength around the hoop, and knocking down a stretch of 3s to defy a growing reputation (in this modest beat writer’s opinion at least) as a very poor shooter. But Te Rangi’s a hustler, with great energy. He’s got a great future for this team. Commentator Casey Frank said it most effectively (if not most eloquently) when he declared during the broadcast: “Somebody call the fire brigade because this guy is on fire!” Nice one, Casey.

Stocks Down

Tom Abercrombie. Where the hell is this guy this season!? He’s supposed to be a dominant scorer but instead he’s spending most of his time on the bench with foul trouble. And they’re not even good fouls, mostly just pathetic loose ball calls. Yes, a lot of guys are struggling to adjust to the new interpretations, but TA needs to realise that his scoring is far more important to this team than any other part of his game. The Breakers need him on the court, even with Te Rangi’s overnight rise.

Play of the Game

I love a point guard who can get some penetration, and Kerron is definitely one of those. Here he is finishing the first half with explosive flair and style:

Match MVP Points

Kerron Johnson 3

Reuben Te Rangi 2

Alex Pledger 1

Corey Webster 1

Season MVP Standings

Kerron Johnson 12

Mika Vukona 6

Alex Pledger 5

Daryl Corletto 3

Up Next

Sunday, 4pm: Wollongong Hawks vs NZ Breakers, WIN Entertainment Centre (NZT)