When Tom Abercrombie is in the form he showed last night he
feels unstoppable, which is a good thing for the Breakers
because they'll soon need him to be.
Abercrombie took control in the fourth quarter of last
night's game against bogey team Wollongong, draining 12
points to lead the Breakers to an eight-point win.
The 24-year-old finished with 25 points for the night, thanks
to shooting five of six from the floor in the final stanza,
as the Breakers turned a tight contest into a vital victory
to stay on top of the Australian NBL ladder.
With only six games remaining in the regular season, and just
two at the North Shore fortress, wins like last night's are
essential if the Breakers are to hold off Perth's challenge
to secure the minor premiership and home court advantage
through the playoffs.
Abercrombie denied he deliberately upped the ante when it
mattered most against Wollongong, but his performance and the
box score would suggest otherwise.
"I think I've always just been someone who lets the game come
to me,'' he said. "I felt, in that second half, that my shot
felt good, and I was trying to be a little bit more
aggressive. The pull-up felt good, and when I've got that
pull-up going I feel like I'm pretty tough to stop because I
can get that off pretty much whenever I want.''
It's a scary thought for potential playoff opposition.
Abercrombie has added a new string to his bow this season.
Not only is he the springy swingman capable of providing
several highlight-reel plays per game, but he can also now
take over games and give the Breakers the kind of scoring
outbursts absent since Kirk Penney's departure in the
off-season.
"Tom has the ability to do that,'' Breakers coach Andrej
Lemanis said. "I thought, certainly in that second half, the
switch went off in Tom and he got aggressive and he started
to get two feet in the paint. When he plays that way, good
things happen for him and his team.''
CJ Bruton, a leader within the Breakers himself, said earlier
in the season this was "Tommy's team'', and the Breakers are
close to cementing that status by tying the North Shore local
to a new three-year deal. The contract would enable
Abercrombie to leave for the NBA if an opportunity opened up,
but the Breakers must hope that is later rather than sooner.
They'll certainly be relying on Abercrombie down the stretch
and into the playoffs this season. Five of the Breakers' last
six games this season are against teams with winning records,
including a visit to presumptive title challengers Perth and
a home-and-away series against third-placed Gold Coast.
The Blaze are riding a five-game winning streak, including a
41-point dismantling of the Wollongong side the Breakers
squeezed past last night, and Hawks guard Ayinde Ubaka said
Gold Coast are the ones to watch heading into the
post-season.
"They're playing the best basketball in the league right now.
They've smashed a couple of teams,'' he said. "We still have
six games to go. It's anybody's for the taking right now. You
can't count anybody out.''
With Perth, Gold Coast and Cairns all lurking, the Breakers
know every win they earn puts them one step closer to home
advantage, which cannot be understated given the Breakers'
11-1 record this season on this side of the Tasman.
And with Abercrombie in form like last night's, those wins
are a lot more likely to come.
- Kris Shannon
A name, residential address, and (preferably residential) telephone number is required from readers who comment on ODT Online. These details will not be visible to site visitors.