Isaac
Years ago
Funny Maher steadies Sixers, repels Breakers
A strong crowd for a Wednesday night showed up to see the Adelaide 36ERS take on an energetic New Zealand Breakers team, and saw their home side hold off the surging visitors, 100-91.
It took a strong final quarter performance from Brett Maher, who had 23 points and 9 assists, to ensure the result fell Adelaide's way after the Breakers mounted a strong third term fightback.
Adelaide got 17 points from Willie Farley, double-doubles from Dusty Rychart and Jacob Holmes, and a vital game from Mark Nash off the bench to help their captain.
New Zealand were paced by solid efforts from their imports - 24 points and 15 rebounds from forward Rich Melzer, and a 17 point, 10 rebound and 9 assist near-triple-double from Brian Green - but had no other players above 10 points.
Melzer had ensured that the visitors matched Adelaide early in the first quarter as Farley and Holmes were accurate initially. Then Maher increased his output and Nash put in seven points for the term, making full use of opportunities inside and getting involved in key examples of quality team play.
In fact, much of the first half was the 36ERS at their best, adding to their 32 point opening period with a 26 point second quarter. Brilliant passing to open team mates in the paint helped the group to a solid 58-43 half-time advantage. Maher added seven to have 14 at the main break and Farley moved to 12.
Melzer did not let up, putting a game-high 20 points at half-time to his name, but the support from the rest of his squad was limited; Green with six points was next best for the Breakers.
However, the situation for the visitors certainly improved in the third. Adelaide dried up almost completely from range, with only Oscar Forman's three giving them a score from outside in the period.
With Farley and Maher scoreless, the other forwards toiled inside, Rychart and Nash the only Sixers to manage multiple baskets. New Zealand simply executed their plays and transitions far better and had input from the majority of their roster.
The result was a 18-31 quarter in which the Breakers clawed back a 15 point deficit to trail by only two points. Aiding the visitors was a decisive difference on the boards, New Zealand pulling down 65 to Adelaide's 44, with the main advantage coming on the offensive glass where the Breakers snatched 32.
One contributor was Tim Behrendorff, coming off the bench for New Zealand to have eight rebounds (five offensive) in under 17 minutes on court. His 10 points were also valuable at 57% from the field.
Into and after the last break, Green had looked effective, a solitary assist short of a triple double before fouling out in the fourth. He had seen opportunities to convert from the free throw line, but along with Mika Vukona, was just 2 from 6.
Regardless, even up to the last couple of minutes, the Breakers looked dangerous. It was Maher turning to scoring inside after hitting two from six threes for the night who helped bring the Sixers home.
The win gives Adelaide its 17th for the season and breathing room in third on the NBL ladder. They travel to Perth where they play the Wildcats on Saturday night. New Zealand remain second-to-last with a 6-20 record, and hit the road again for a game in Brisbane on Saturday also.
Adelaide 36ers 100 (Maher 23, Farley 17, Holmes 14, Rychart 14, Nash 13)
New Zealand Breakers 91 (Melzer 24, Green 17, Behrendorff, Olson 10)
