Illawarra Hawks 96-75 NZ Breakers

It’s never nice to run into an ex. Especially not when they’re with someone else.

Kirk Penney is an Illawarra Hawk and if that hadn’t sunk in when it was announced, or even when he played his first game for them, it has now after seeing him torch the Breakers for 36 points at WIN Entertainment Centre.

There was no Mika Vukona again for the Breaks, he took part in the shoot-around but was outsmarted by a dastardly fitness test. The first time in his NBL career that he’s missed consecutive games. For Illa, they were without both Kevin Lisch and Rhys Martin.

Playing a team that had lost its first two games, a team that the Breakers have won 12 of their last 13 against, zipping out to a 7-0 lead out of the gates didn’t seem quite so odd. But it was, from what was to come. Cedric came out with purpose and Abercrombie had his shooting touch. Yet 7-0 became 7-5 quickly – all five Hawks points coming from Kirk Penney at the foul line. Penney getting hit as he launched a triple set the tone for this one as much as anything else.

A TA three kept the Breaks looking solid in front but Penney soon took over for real this time. He was hyper-aggressive, looking to the hoop whenever he could and he sparked a 15-2 run that gave the Hawks a lead they’d never lose. 14 points in the first quarter for KP. He did get done by Abercrombie on a drive to the basket but he got his own back the very next possession, drawing a 4-point play off TA. Some of the defence in this game from the Breakers was beyond stupid.

Abercrombie’s a pretty good defender, yet that didn’t stop him jumping on reads and letting his man slip into space as he put the ball on the ground or pulled up for a jumper. And it wasn’t only TA getting done. Tai Wesley was typically superb in his offensive post game only to have big troubles at the other end with some of his decision making and Everard Bartlett was getting slayed there. He was in foul trouble bright and early. The Hawks caused all sorts of problems for the Breakers with their full-court pressing on their inbounds passes and for some reason NZB couldn’t figure out a way to utilise the space that left in behind them. Instead they turned the ball over. Between fouling Penney on deep jumpers, losing the inbounds pass and sloppy turnovers at the other end, terrible basketball errors were drowning the Breakers and the Hawks’ offensive boom was holding them under.

There were a few home town calls, we’ll say that much. A rubbish charge on Reuben Te Rangi late in the first, a ball kicked out by a Hawk who somehow retained possession later on. But while that added to the frustration, it was another example in the long history of sporting luck falling in the favour of the more aggressive and enthusiastic team.

It was 32-19 after the first quarter. It was 59-40 at the half. To say that’s an unacceptable amount of points to be leaking would be an understatement.

The Hawks moved the ball very well, watching the rhythm they were able to establish on offence and then comparing that to the stagnant Breakers possessions was a tough reality check. When the commentators start begging you to use Tai Wesley’s post game as a first option then you know you’re short on ideas. Not that Wes isn’t great at that, he is, but y’know, imagination.

The best that the Breakers offered in their win over the Crocs on the weekend came from transition play. They were able to force tough shots against a team without the weapons that the Hawks possess and as they hoovered rebounds and broke down the court, they made things happen. That wasn’t there in this game, no matter how Cedric tried to find it. They were disrupted in the backcourt and when they finally got into their sets, all they could do was move the ball up, down and around the edge of the key and not at any pace. Any pass inside was gonna be swallowed and what this usually ended with was Cedric driving into traffic to try make something happen or occasionally he pops a three. And when you have Abercrombie and Bartlett there, you have to think that surely they’re not designing plays to get Cedric space to shoot a jumper? Abercrombie shot 4 for 4 to start this game. He’s got his flaws but nobody has a sweeter jumper in this team. He is criminally underused.

The feeling with these half-court plays is that they team is scared to let the ball get beyond Cedric’s hands. They’re so lacking in any fluency that it’s brutal to watch. This is a problem that’s been there all season and at times last. The Breakers aren’t that great when they can’t push the ball. Catfish Jackson was the only guy in the team without a first half turnover and he rectified that within 30 seconds of the restart.

There was the impression that the Hawks cooled off in the third. They’d played with such relentlessness in the first half and built a huge lead and it’s probably only natural that they stopped working as hard for their shots as they did, settling for contested shots and attempts early in the clock where they’d have made a couple extra passes before. That’s cool, they had that luxury.

And the Breakers couldn’t claw it back anyway. Bartlett hit a couple open threes which is fast becoming one of their most reliable threats… if only they knew how to manufacture space. Goddamn, though, the turnovers were infuriating. Kirk Penney’s movement off the ball at the other end put every single Breaker to shame.

At least it was Kirk Penney doing most of the damage and not some other prick. We can always sit back and enjoy a great kiwi basketballer in action. Hey, and kiwi-born Tony Tolovae even got a couple late minutes for the Hawks (he’s lived in Oz since he was 10 but has played in the NZ NBL). Penney would finish with 36 points, while A.J. Ogilvy had his way inside for 23 points and 10 boards.

The Hawks made a number of tweaks to a team that hasn’t been near its potential this season. They cut the turnovers and solved whatever madness had them only taking 47 shots against Cairns as well as fixing the poor shooting percentage that killed them in Melbourne. This is a good team, one that can drain trebles with the best of them.

But the Breakers, bloody hell. 25 turnovers is a recipe for disaster, even before you add in the pumping they took at both ends of the court. Mika Vukona will improve a lot when he returns. He’ll tie that team together defensively. Still, in a markedly improved league this year, there’s work to be done. It can be done though, this team has the potential. Catfish topped the stat chart with 20 & 9, a chunk of that coming in garbage time. He’s a player with great potential if he can tighten up the defence slightly. On attack he’s a wonderful finisher close to the rim, that’s already clear.

Elsewhere Wesley scored 14 shooting at 50%, Bartlett scored 9 hitting 3/6 from 3pt, Abercrombie with 11 (5-7) and Shae Ili had himself the best night of his pro career with 14 points off the bench.

Stocks:

Movin’ On Up Like Curtis Mayfield – Shae Ili. Dude played well enough to earn 15 mins, that’s more than Old Mac managed. 14p/3a/3r/2s for Ili, though he did have three turnovers (as did TA, Tai & Mac, while RTR had 4). He’s s superb athlete is Ili, rapid on his toes and always down for the hustle play. The development player has made big strides recently and he’s getting this chance on merit. Taking it too. Which offers the thought: If he can surpass Old Mac in the rotation then does that make Shane expendable if/when Corey Webster comes back, allowing them to keep Bartlett around?

Goin’ Down Slow Like Howlin’ Wolf – If you’re wondering why Cedric hasn’t been mentioned all that often it’s for good reason. In his 100th game he ‘celebrated’ by not hitting a single field goal, something he’d achieved in all 99 others. He’s not going down for long, he’s too good, but this was not great. 1 point, 0-7 FG. Did have 5 rebounds and 6 assists though.

Key Stat

Every single Breakers player had a turnover. Catfish Jackson was the only one without one by half-time, he remedied that within 30 seconds of the start of the third quarter. In the end, only Barlett, and Cedric didn’t have at least 2 TOs. There were 25 in total, 14 of them off the bench. That’s abysmal.

Play of the Game

Check out Tom Abercrombie turning a poor pass into points using his great reach and that strange ability he has to hang in the air for a split-second longer than feels possible. This right on the third quarter buzzer:

Season Standings

Cedric Jackson – 6

Charles Jackson – 5

Multiple on 2

Match MVP Points

Charles Jackson – 3

Shea Ili – 2

Tom Abercrombie – 1

Up Next

Friday, 11.30pm: Perth Wildcats vs NZ Breakers, Perth Arena (NZT)