Dragons Break Kiwis With Thrilling Win
The Sunday Age
Sunday January 11, 2009
THE South Dragons have cemented top spot on the National Basketball League ladder with a thrilling overtime win against the second-placed New Zealand Breakers at the Melbourne Sports and Aquatic Centre last night.
Guard Rhys Carter was the man of the moment and the man of the match, after sending his team into overtime with a free throw in the final seconds of the fourth quarter, and then sealing the game for the Dragons with a massive three-pointer when scores were tied with just two seconds left on the clock at the end of the match.Carter's efforts were monumental. He scored a career-high 25 points, including six shots from long range and had four assists to give his team the 115-112 victory in front of a full house of 1994.The win puts the Dragons two games clear of the Breakers on top of the NBL table as they go into a 16-day break before they meet the Melbourne Tigers later this month.Carter was joined by skipper Mark Worthington (27 points) and livewire Adam Gibson, who managed 18 points despite being fouled out of the game in the final minutes of the fourth term.At the other end of the court, Breakers sharpshooters Kirk Penney and Oscar Forman were left to rue their failure to clinch the match after delivering near-perfect performances for much of the night.Penney, whose 32 points included six from downtown, missed three free-throws in a row - the first two when the game was there to be won in the fourth term, and another in the overtime period that could have given his team the ascendancy.Forman (20 points) hit six of nine three pointers on the night, but one of those misses was on the buzzer in the fourth term, once again letting the game slip.NBL games record-holder Tony Ronaldson was also a huge presence for the Breakers, scoring 23 points.The Breakers' star import C.J.Bruton started on the bench and had little impact on the game, as did Dragons starter Joe Ingles, who was off the boil all night.New import Donta Smith proved a handful for the Breakers, scoring 13 points and snatching five steals.The Breakers were running hot right from the first buzzer, spearheaded by Penney who set the court alight in the first term, netting 12 points in the first six minutes.Penney's exploits took the Breakers to a 14-point lead halfway through the first term.But things turned around quickly after that, the Dragons going on a 10-point scoring spree that brought them right back into the game. The home side managed to take the lead briefly when big man Nick Horvath rebounded under the ring and delivered the points with just 30 seconds to go in the quarter.The Breakers looked to have the ascendancy for much of the rest of the game, but the Dragons stayed with them through explosive scoring bursts, and really announced themselves as contenders in the fiercely contested final term, when the two teams traded the lead three times before leaving the game all tied up at the end of regulation time.Unheralded American David Gruber and returning point guard Damian Martin ensured Sydney captain Jason Smith celebrated his 400th NBL game in style as the Spirit beat Wollongong 88-79 at Sydney Olympic Park Sports Centre last night.Sydney notched a sixth straight home win in the first time in almost five years to keep their unlikely finals prospects alive.The financially embattled Spirit (11-11) remained just outside the play-off zone with the win.In last night's other game, Adelaide 36ers beat Cairns Taipans 107-86 at home. --With AAP
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