Mk Breakers picked up a resounding 105-66 win over City of Birmingham Rockers with five players hitting double digits.
Adrian Scarborough led the scoring for the Breakers with 26 points, his performance also saw him add 15 rebounds. KJ Johnson followed closely behind with 21 points, 9 assists, and 7 rebounds whilst going 100% from the line converting all 10 of his efforts. Nate Robinson added 16 points, with Kai Walker and Chris Tawiah both putting up 10.
It was certainly an entertaining start to Saturday’s affair with 13 points scored inside the first three minutes. Adrian Scarborough got the Breakers crowd on their feet on more than one occasion with six points in that span. Chris Tawiah and KJ Johnson also opened their accounts for the evening as the Breakers opened an early five-point lead over the Rockets. Kai Walker and Tawiah would extend that lead to nine points before Gayle stopped a 10-0 run for the hosts.
KJ Johnson added two from the free throw line before Scarborough grabbed an offensive board before racing eight points in the opening quarter with his layup, leaving the Breakers up by 10 points with little over two-minutes remaining in the first. The quarter closed exactly how it opened with 14 points scored in the final two-minutes, including three-point efforts from both Nate Robinson and Kai Williams. The Rockets would convert one of their own, however, as the Breakers would close out the first with a 29-17 lead.
The fast-paced nature of the tie didn’t slow down in the second with Toluwase and Noel adding points to the board either side of KJ Johnson’s jump shot, with the same man going three for three from the line as he creeped up on double digit points. It was Scarborough who would be the first man to reach that mark for the Breakers with his layup following Kai Walker’s steal. Johnson would follow suit as he put the Breakers lead to 14 points.
The Breakers were in full flow, with Nate Robinson the next man to take his tally for the evening to double digits, doing so with an effortless three-point effort, with Romario Spence impressing the Breakers home crowd with an impressive alley-oop following Kai Williams’ pass. Kai Walker extended the Breakers lead to an impressive 18 points, Toluwase’s single three throw conversion closed out the opening half with the Breakers leading 55-38 at the break.
Both sides struggled to find their groove after the half-time break with just six points scored in the opening two-minutes, but the Breakers soon found their momentum again. KJ Johnson’s driving layup following Kai Williams block and Nate Robinson’s reserve layup ensured the Breakers crowd were on their feet twice in a matter of seconds. KJ Johnson added yet another two points to his tally from the line as the Breakers pushed their advantage to 23 points. Spence and Walker combined as the former closed in on double digits for the evening, with KJ Johnson closing in on 20 points after his layup.
Johnson would reach that mark as he converted his three-point effort – extending the Breakers lead to 27 points in the process. The Rockets would continue to try to find a way back into the game with Toluwase and Jackman bringing the gap down to 20 points, but Blayne Freckleton would stop their momentum with his three-pointer. It was the Rockets who grabbed the final points of the quarter with the Breakers leading 74-52 heading into the final 10-minutes.
Chris Tawiah struck twice early in the fourth as he became the fourth player to reach double digits for the evening, before KJ Johnson made it 10 from 10 from the free throw line. Blayne Freckleton put another three points on the board, before Nate Robinson followed suit as the Breakers closed in on the 100-point mark. Scarborough took himself to 20 points with his layup, before KJ Johnson and Adrian Scarborough combined three times in quick succession to bring up a 34 point lead.
Kai Walker became the fifth player to hit double digits for the night and took Breakers to 100 points in the process. The advantage allowed the Breakers to bring on their young academy players with Noah Brown, Gabriel Formeloza and Damian Ogodan all seeing minutes in the closing stages. Ogodan picked himself up an assist as Temi George converted his three-point effort with Formeloza going two for two at the line.
Next up for the Breakers is a home clash against Nottingham Hoods on 8th February as Billy Beddow’s side go in search of three wins in a row. Tickets available HERE.
