MK Breakers suffered mixed fortunes on the weekend, they firstly overcame City of Birmingham Rockets on Saturday evening, but would be eliminated from the National Cup on Sunday evening at the hands of Hemel Storm.
Saturday saw the Breakers record back-to-back league wins for the first time this season as KJ Johnson’s 29 points and 8 assists guided the Breakers to their fourth win of the season as they ran out 90-71 winners over City of Birmingham Rockets.
Blayne Freckleton added 15 points to the scoreboard, all of which came from beyond the arc, in a game in which the Breakers sank 12 three pointers. Kai Walker also hit double figures as he netted himself 13 points.
The Breakers were in full control during the first half as they took a 15-point lead into the break, however, City of Birmingham Rockets railed in the third as they outscored the Breakers 20-11 to set up a tense final quarter. The Breakers, however, found another gear as they put up 31 points in the fourth to see off the Birmingham based outfit.
Attention then turned to Sunday’s clash with Hemel Storm, an affair which once again lived up to the hype. Things started fast with 23 points being scored in the opening five minutes of play. The game eventually found a slower pace as both sides found their feet at both ends of the court. It was the Storm who closed out the first quarter with the lead as Disu’s late three pointer ensured the visitors took a 21-18 lead into the second quarter.
The second quarter saw the lead swing in favour of the Breakers as they started the quarter 6-0 run, with the Storm’s first points coming after four-minutes of action. The lead, however, was only extended to three points, meaning Ellis’ hook-shot reduced the lead to just one point with five-minutes of action left to play.
The Storm, however, didn’t stop there and retook the lead through Nelson-Henry’s free throws, but Nate Robinson and Adrian Scarborough ensured the Breakers retook the lead moments later. Burnell’s three-point effort tied up the scores at 28-28. Chris Tawiah’s hook-shot and dunk pushed the Breakers lead to four points, Moton’s three points ensured that lead was one point, but not before Kai William’s converted from deep to add three points to the scoreboard.
KJ Johnson’s five points in a matter of seconds put the Breakers up by seven with seconds left to play, but Ellis’ jump shot ensured the Breakers would only have a five point lead at the break as they led 40-35.
The second half started fast with six points scored within the opening minute of play, one that saw the Storm bring themselves to within three points of the lead. Kai Walker hit a wide open three pointer, before McIndoe converted two free throws, leading the Breakers to an eight point lead that was pushed to 10 points through Adrian Scarborough’s dunk.
A timeout, however, called by the Storm allowed them to regroup as they scored eight points to Breakers two in the following possessions. The hosts managed to calm things down as Scarborough’s lay-up stopped the run for the Storm, but they would bring themselves to within two. They soon took the lead through a combination of Disu and Ellis. Robinson drew the Breakers level with his free throw, but the comeback was complete by the Storm as Monkman’s lay-up put Storm ahead by two points.
The fourth quarter was an understandably nervous one to begin with, both sides exchanging blows. Sam Newman hit a dagger with his three points extending the Storm’s advantage, before Nelson-Henry’s dunk kept the Storm lead at three points. The Storm would continue their fourth quarter run as Disu’s dunk gave them a six point lead with just five minutes of play left.
Adrian Scarborough reduced that lead to three points, with Nate Robinson’s lay-up bringing the Breakers to within 1 point with two-minutes left to play. Nelson-Henry was on hand to put the Storm back ahead by, but KJ Johnson would go down the other end to bring the gap to just one point with under a minute on the clock.
The Storm defence caused a shot clock violation, which meant Ellis’ jump shot all but sealed victory for the visitors. The Storm’s defence once again stood tall as they secured their passage into the Semi-Final of the National Cup.
The Breakers are back in action at home next weekend for their final game of 2024, when they host Worthing Thunder in league action, tip off scheduled for 5pm on Saturday 21st December, tickets available HERE
