The Breakers were down for most of the first half of their match against the Wollongong Hawks, missing some comfortable shots and allowing the Hawks some easy baskets close to the hoop.
But a more solid defensive base in the second half gave the Breakers a four point lead at three-quarter time, and they dominated the last period to win 114-93.
"They were getting something like 50 percent of the offensive rebounds in the first quarter, and at halftime I told them we needed to play defence at a level we need to play," Lemanis said.
"They responded well. One of our key stats is uncontested shots and they had 20 in the first half and only six in the second."
The improved defence helped give the Breakers a more solid base to attack, where Kirk Penney led the way.
Last season's leading scorer outdid himself last night, scoring 41 points, beating his previous record for the Breakers of 32. He scored just 10 in the first half but five three-pointers in the third quarter helped get his team going.
"Things were going really well in the third quarter and I couldn't understand why we were only four points up at three-quarter time," Penney said.
"But they eventually ran out of steam in the final quarter."
Once they got their act together the Breakers played the sort of basketball which suggests they should be a force in the NBL this season.
CJ Bruton looked in good form in his first game for the Breakers, scoring 15 points, while American Rick Rickert was a dominant force with his rebounding at both ends and 13 points, not to mention his energy.
"It's like he has five Red Bulls," Penney said. "The way he plays with so much enthusiasm makes us want to get a piece of it."
Former Boomer Glen Saville led the way for the Hawks with 22 points, while Dusty Rychart performed well with 16 points and seven rebounds.
The fourth quarter performance was so dominant that the Breakers had a 20-point lead with two minutes to go, giving Lemanis the luxury of substituting his entire team.
The Breakers face a much tougher task next Thursday against the defending champion Melbourne Tigers team.
"It will be a good for us to have them coming this early in the season, but these sorts of games are the ones we play for," Lemanis said.
