If the mark of a championship side is to grind out unflattering victories, the Breakers must certainly be considered title contenders.
Breakers 71
Hawks 55
The Kiwi club played some of the worst basketball they have managed this season but still emerged on top against the ANBL cellar-dwelling Hawks.
Welcoming to Vector Arena a Wollongong side that had suffered eight straight defeats, the Breakers did their utmost to throw away what for the first half appeared a certain win.
A horror third quarter caused almost irreparable damage before the Breakers bounced back to sneak over the line. If the opposition were anyone other than the last-placed Hawks, the home side might have been less lucky.
But in advancing their record to 7-3, the Breakers remained at the right end of the ladder, taking the win before mercifully banishing this one to memory.
No one within the club will want to look back on the third. The Breakers took a 10-point lead into halftime but emerged after the break and promptly missed 12 straight shots, eventually finishing with just three points in quarter that would have been kind to call ugly.
They got their act together for the fourth as Wollongong showed why they equalled a club record with nine consecutive losses, with Cedric Jackson quickly ending the game as a contest.
The point guard scored 13 points in the final period to finish with a game-high 24, chipping in seven rebounds and four assists. Ekene Ibekwe was the only other Breaker in double figures and, for a club that often puts five or six players past that mark, that fact illustrated just how ineffective the offence was for much of the game.
Like they did last weekend, the import pair both made major contributions as the Breakers began well. Ibekwe took little more than a minute to announce his arrival on the floor, throwing down Rhys Carter's alley-oop to help his side seize control in the opening quarter.
Wollongong remained within a possession but the Breakers soon found a significant lead in the second when Ibekwe added the foul after an agile burst through the paint, creating a game-high eight-point advantage.
Jackson, meanwhile, led his team with 10 as the Breakers led by the same amount at the major break, making a number of eye-catching lay-ups and having his way when driving to the hoop.
The Breakers would have felt unfortunate to let the Hawks hang in the game, considering Wollongong managed just 53 points in last weekend's loss to Sydney. And the Hawks pulled even closer to start the third, enjoying an 8-0 run as the Breakers took more than six minutes to make a field goal.
That streak of futility was finally broken by Ibekwe but not even his best efforts could revive his rapidly-wilting side, shooting an air ball as Wollongong drew level late in the period.
In addition to their horrendous shooting, the Breakers were turning over the ball and being out-rebounded, needing to quickly arrest the worrying slide as the sides heading to the fourth on even terms.
Jackson did his utmost to accomplish that, making a pair of triples to give his side the lead they wouldn't squander.
Breakers 71 (Jackson 24, Ibekwe 11, Carter 9)
Hawks 55 (Davidson 12, Ervin 10, Hill 8)
HT: 44-34
NZME.
