Breakers Clawed By ‘Cats
Tagged in: NZ Breakers
The Perth Wildcats have taken out the third and deciding game of their pre-season Coca Cola Challenge series against the New Zealand Breakers at the Eaton Recreation Centre, 106-93.
New Zealand enforced strong defensive pressure from the start to stifle the Wildcats in the opening session, as Peter Crawford and Shawn Redhage were prevented from any clean looks at the basket.
Without perimeter options the ‘Cats had to go inside. Isiah Victor opened the scoring with a layup whilst Alex Loughton worked under the basket to score five points.
The first quarter went New Zealand’s way however with the visitors up 25-18 at the first change. Ex-Wildcat Tony Ronaldson seemed to find the basket a lot easier in game three but again got into trouble with the referees, gaining himself a technical foul in the first quarter and one early in the second.
After the first break Darnell Hinson and Loughton stepped up the offence with a combined 24-point haul, three from long range. Both players showed strong leadership on the floor, Hinson with the ball and Loughton in the paint.
For the Breakers, Oscar Forman proved dangerous from the perimeter while Dillon Boucher’s defence was suffocating. Key baskets for New Zealand came from back-door plays and the visitors took a one-point lead of 80-79 before the last break.
The fourth quarter started the same way the third ended - in a scrappy game of basketball. Both sides were unable to finish effectively and seemed frustrated. Ronaldson again taunted the referees with less than three minutes to go in the game to earn his third technical foul.
With Brad Robbins out with a foot injury, Hinson had little time on the bench in each quarter. His 40-minute long spell cost him five fouls, but he proved a true workhorse, mixing up his game with drives to the basket, key assists and some long bombs from outside. He finished the game with 20 points, five rebounds and six assists.
Loughton was pivotal throughout the game, contributing 24 points and 11 rebounds, while Redhage set up key baskets earning seven assists to go with his 22 points and six rebounds.
