Fast Break Report #11: Corey Webster Says Hello
Image: Photosport NZ
NZ Breakers 80-69 Melbourne United
Sometimes it takes a complete team effort to earn a victory and other times it just takes one star to get hot. Corey Webster has had some up games and some down games since his return to the NBL but against Melbourne United he was stratospheric.
Maybe he was inspired by the head to head rematch with Chris Goulding or maybe it was revenge for the late and controversial foul call that cost the Breaks the win in Melly last time these teams met. Most likely it was a bit of both. Corey was immense in this game.
“[Revenge] was in the back of my mind ever since that happened, but honestly I wasn’t thinking about that during the game. I was just trying to help the team wherever I could to get the win, and luckily I shot the ball well.” – Corey Webster
He’s lying, it's all he was thinking about. How else do you explain a career-high 39 points?
Webster wasn’t the only one out for retaliation, the whole team was fired up to play Goulding and Melbourne again. That last meeting should have been United’s first loss of the season but they’ve since dropped a couple to fall from 9-0 to 9-2 - although still sitting comfortably out on top - while the Breakers came in at third on the ladder but undefeated at home. Tai Wesley was still out, the Breakers were otherwise at full strength.
A couple of errors stopped the Breakers from getting a roll on in the first quarter. Travels especially, though Melbourne’s reliance on the three ball stopped them from rolling either. Webster and Goulding each got a shot off the elbow to fall but where Webster was willing to drive and get the best shot he could, CG43 was happy to pop them from deep, missing his first couple.
Somewhere along the way the Breakers have become a great rebounding team. There are a few things that can help with the boards, one of them is the ability to box out and reel in that ball. Another is being able to force poor shots. Perimeter defence isn’t the first thing you think of with rebounding but it matters – there’s nothing to rebound if the shot sinks. Cedric Jackson has stealthily become the best rebounding guard in the league.
Webster didn't begin in heat check mode at all, yet he started 5 of 5 with 11 points, sinking a three to make it 20-16 with 2:30 left to play in the first. The first heat check came sweeping out to the right and cutting back inside over double team pressure. He got hit on the arm and sunk all three free throws. NZB led 23-22 at quarter time.
The second quarter was one of the uglier ones you’ll see between two such quality teams. 22 combined points, it was not at all pleasant basketball. Beginning with fouls at each end, they were followed by turnovers and poor shots. Webster suddenly couldn’t hit a thing. There has to be a fair bit of credit for the defence on show, however. Catfish and Majok, the import bigs, were a big part of that. Catfish was patrolling the paint but he showed great awareness to shut the baseline off from the penetrating guards.
Only one bucket (a TA triple) in the first five minutes, the Breakers needed some offence from somewhere and Cedric looked to have found some with a veteran play to draw a foul on a treble from Goulding. Only to miss all three FTs. Abercrombie finally gave them something with a reverse layup running under the basket after Mika had hauled in a tough O-board.
The nine points that the Breakers scored was the worst the Breakers have ever managed in a second quarter at home, but despite that they only trailed by three at the big break – 32-35.
Webster started 5/5 and then shot 1/7. For the rest of the game he’d hit 7/13. If you wanna pinpoint the exact moment he got his mojo back, it’d be two minutes into the third quarter when Goulding ran under a Mika screen giving CW the room to shoot a three that he duly swished. He flipped another triple on the turn soon after.
Goulding was bossing the Melbourne offence, as he does, but he wasn’t getting the deep ones to go. He responded by driving, passing and getting to the line all to varying degrees. He’d go 0 of 7 from 3pt for the game, still scoring 19 points but he didn’t bring the fear factor that his opposite remembered to pack in his gear bag that morning. Melbourne led for the entire third Q but Everard Bartlett was able to get this wobbler to go late on, closing it to 51-52:
Corey Webster tied it up with a three early in the fourth and, just like last game in Sydney, they never looked back. Webby drilled another three – he was 7 of 9 from 3pt in stark contrast to Ol’ Gouldo on the night. Mika Vukona got one from under to keep it at a four point game, one of a number of hustle plays he came up with this game (bouncing back well after a pretty empty stat line last time). Abercrombie came up with a couple too, a steal and some great defence, which helped him overcome what was an uncharacteristically poor offensive game (3 of 12 shooting). And Cedric had some crucial plays of his own.
And then a Webster three made it 67-58 with 2:33 to play. He had another one in him to help his personal tally to 39 points, shooting 13 of 25. What a game, what a player. For a volume shooter like he is, he’ll waver between the good ones and the bad ones. Just imagine what he could have done with a decent second quarter too.
Cedric had 10 points, 9 rebounds and 5 assists in a clinically influential effort despite the sore knee that cut him short in Sydney. Mika had 6 & 6, while Abs scored 9 and Pledger provided 6 & 4 off the bench. Catfish had 8 rebounds and 2 steals with his 4 points.
The Breakers stick in third with the win and travel to second-placed Perth for their next game.
Stocks:
Movin’ On Up Like Curtis Mayfield – We’ll let the Pledgemeister take this one:
Goin’ Down Slow Like Howlin’ Wolf – The bench. There weren’t that many shots to go around with Webster taking 25 of them but it was a little telling to see the Breaks going with a nine man rotation. Wesley will be back to add to that eventually. But even with Cedric playing less than usual there still wasn’t much room for Shane McDonald (98 seconds of game time) while Bartlett and Te Rangi couldn’t make an extended impact. Pledger was good, at least. Also they didn’t really need that much with Corey playing all but 78 seconds and Abercrombie getting over 35 mins in.
Key Stat
Corey Webster’s 39 points are the third most in a game by one player since the NBL move to 10 minute quarters and second in 40 min Breakers games only to this masterclass:
Play of the Game
Kind of goes without saying, but we had to choose some Webster Wildfire.
Season Standings
Cedric Jackson – 18
Corey Webster – 14
Two on 11
Match MVP Points
Corey Webster – 3
Cedric Jackson – 2
Mika Vukona – 1
Up Next
Friday, 11.30pm: Perth Wildcats vs NZ Breakers, Perth Arena (NZT)