MK Breakers returned to Bletchley Leisure Centre as they faced off against Reading Rockets, it wasn’t to be a repeat of the 2024 National Cup Final, however, as the Rockets ran out 92-73 winners.
Kai Walker led the scoring for the Breakers with 17 points with both Adrian Scarborough and KJ Johnson following closely behind with 14 points. Chris Tawiah also hit double figures with his 12 points, however, the Rockets would run out winners with Justin Hopkins leading the scoring with 33 points.
It was the visitors who took the momentum early on as Reading Rockets found their groove as they rushed to a 12-4 after just four minutes of action. Kai Walker hit the Breakers; first three pointer of the evening to reduce that lead to five points. Although the Rockets would widen the margin back in their favour, it was Walker who hit another three pointer to bring the score to 18-11 with four minutes left in the opening quarter.
That lead, however, continued to widen as Mitch Clarke and Justin Hopkins pushed the gap to 26-11 in favour of the Rockets. The Breakers, however, rallied and with five points from KJ Johnson and a three-point jump shot from Nate Robinson, trailed by nine points at the end of the first quarter as the Rockets led 28-19.
The Breakers continued to chip away at the lead as both Chris Tawiah and Kai Williams both hit buckets to bring the Breakers to within seven of the Rockets. KJ Johnson then took to the line scoring both of his free throws to reduce the lead to just five. The momentum seemed to be in favour of the Breakers with Blayne Freckleton and Kai Williams keeping the Breakers within touching distance of the Rockets. Jaguar Jackson came up with a steal at a vital moment with Chris Tawiah bringing the Breakers crowd to their feet with his dunk to pull the Breakers to within four.
The Rockets, however, hit back with an important three-point play followed by two free throws from Olarerin and saw the lead reach nine points once again. Scarborough converted an important free throw before adding a further two points thanks to his dunk, however, the Rockets hit back quickly to retake a nine-point lead. Nate Robinson’s three pointer reduced that lead, before Hopkins hit back to push the lead to eight. Kai Walker closed out the half with three points of his own from beyond the arc as the Rockets took a 46-41 lead into the break.
It was the Rockets who came out the break the brightest as they extended their lead to 10 points with Olarerin scoring five points in the opening two-minutes. Adrian Scarborough, however, kept the Breakers close with his seven points in the same timeframe. It was Olarerin, however, who struck a dagger from range to restore the Rockets double digit lead. KJ Johnson’s layup saw the Breakers pull to within single digits, before Blayne Freckleton went three for three at the line pulling Billy Beddow’s side to six points from the lead.
The Rockets next three points came from the free throw line, but Kai Walker would net two of his own to ensure the Rockets were only seven ahead with just over two-minutes remaining in the third. The Breakers closed out the half with a single point from the line from Walker as the Rockets took a 58-64 lead into the final quarter.
Justin Hopkins and Chris Tawiah exchanged buckets to start the fourth quarter, but Lewis Champion struck from the three-point line to give the Rockets a much desired nine point lead. KJ Johnson hit three points of his own. The Rockets would then score seven points without return as they took a 15-point lead into the final minutes of the evening. The Breakers didn’t ease up despite the gap between the two sides, Kai Walker pulled the Breakers to within 11 points after his two layups.
The two sides exchanged blows in the closing minutes, with the Rockets scoring well from the three-throw line to keep the distance between the two sides. Justin Hopkins, however, would come up with five unanswered points to extend the Rockets lead to 17 points with a minute left in the game.
Clarke would score the final points of the game as his driving lay-up secured a 92-73 win for the Reading Rockets.
The Breakers will be hoping to return to winning ways next weekend as they face Essex Rebels in the fifth round of the National Cup. Tip Off is scheduled for 4pm at the Essex Sports Arena.
The Breakers will return to league action the following weekend with another tough when they host Derby Trailblazers on Saturday 7th December, 5pm Tip Off at Bletchley Leisure Centre, tickets available HERE.
