MK Breakers closed out 2024 with their third successive NBL 1 victory as they ran out 113-88 winners over Worthing Thunder. The win sees the Breakers climb to 7th place in the league heading in to the Christmas break.
Nate Robinson and Adrian Scarborough led the scoring for the Breakers with 25 points each, with Robinson going 5-7 from the three-point line. KJ Johnson (14), Blayne Freckleton (11) and Kai Walker (11) also hit double figures, with Walker adding 12 rebounds also.
Kai Walker started the evening with three points before Adrian Scarborough raised the roof early with his dunk, with Walker adding another two points to put the Breakers up by seven early on.
The Thunder, however, were quick to make their way back into the game and would take the lead after a scoring run of 10-0 in favour of the visitors. It was KJ Johnson who ended that run as he scored twice from the free throw line, a feat he repeated moments later to bring the Breakers to within one point of Thunder.
Kai Walker would be the man to restore the Breakers’ lead as he converted twice from the line to give his side a one-point lead. Maynard and Robinson exchanged successful three-point efforts, before Adrian Scarborough’s layup extended the Breakers lead to five, a gap that was further extended after Blayne Freckleton’s three pointer. Kai Walker, Scarborough and Tawiah all followed up with two points of their own to put the Breakers up 32-21 leading into the second quarter.
The Breakers started the second with confidence from range with both Kai Williams and Nate Robinson effortlessly converting efforts from the three-point line. The two sides then exchanged multiple possessions with Adrian Scaborough converting from the line before Adeluola hit four points for no reply, Tawiah would halt his momentum with his dunk and restore the Breakers double-digit lead in the process.
Lashley would bring the Thunder back to within nine points as he scored two three throws, he’d then make that lead seven points with his fadeaway. KJ Johnson and Blayne Freckleton both hit three pointers before Walker and Robinson combined perfectly as Robinson’s alley-oop dunk put the Breakers up by 15 and forced Thunder into a timeout.
The Breakers momentum continued following the timeout as KJ Johnson’s four-point play took the Breakers lead to 17 points following Lashley’s jump shot. Johnson’s efforts closed out the first half as Billy Beddow’s side ended the break with a 57-41 lead.
It was Worthing who scored the first points of the second half as Hernandez converted three points, but the Breakers hit back immediately with Freckleton, Scarborough and McIndoe all hitting two points of their own. The Thunder were scoring well, but their issue came as the Breakers were doing the same, Robinson and Scarborough both hitting two points, with the former converting from range shortly after Hernandez did the same for Worthing.
KJ Johnson continued his impressive evening, he hit once again from the free throw line after Scarborough’s layup. Some good defensive work from the Breakers saw KJ Johnson pick up the steal, he found Kai Williams who converted his second three-point effort of the evening before Robinson’s driving layup put the Breakers up by 25 points.
That lead was reduced by four points, but Chris Tawiah’s three-point play followed by Nate Robinson’s three pointer closed out an impressive third quarter, with the Breakers closing it out with an 88-61 lead.
The Thunder hit five points early on as they looked to upset the odds and produce a fourth quarter comeback, and with 90-seconds played they’d scored eight points to Breakers two. The momentum soon shifted back in favour of the Breakers as both Scarborough and Robinson added two points. Thunder, however, continued to push the Breakers with Maynard and Boakye-Yiadom hitting five points in quick succession and forcing the Breakers into a timeout.
Billy Beddow timed the timeout perfectly as Adrian Scarborough would immediately add two points with his dunk before Freckleton’s steal and layup put the Breakers to within one point of triple digits. It was Scaborough who took the Breakers to the 100-point mark, with Nate Robinson adding three more points with his fifth conversion from range of the evening.
Kai Walker and Adrian Scarborough both hit two points, before youngsters Noah Brown and Damian Ogodan entered the game for the final minutes. Although neither scored their first points in a Breakers uniform, they can certainly be encouraged by their efforts in the closing moments. Brown picked himself up an assist as he found Temi George for the final points of the evening ensuring the Breakers ran out 113-88 winners.
