Box Score: MK Breakers 92 – 85 Bradford Dragons
A shorthanded MK Breakers team picked up a crucial 92-85 win over the Bradford Dragons on Saturday evening.
The win keeps the breakers in fourth place in the table with two games to go, but with Essex Rebels and Loughborough Riders in fifth and sixth place respectively, the last two games against those two teams will be crucial .
The Breakers host Loughborough on Wednesday at 7pm before hosting the Rebels on Sunday at 5pm. Tickets available HERE.
The Breakers were quick out of the blocks against Bradford with Adrian Scarborough and Chris Tawiah asserting their dominance on the inside early. Justin Williams got Bradford on the scoreboard with a pair of highly contested three-pointers to open his scoring account for the evening. The hosts continued to keep the scoreboard ticking over, and a pair of three-pointers from Jordan Spencer and Kai Walker push the lead out to 27-13 before Rihards Sulcs replied with a layup to close the gap at 12 at the end of the first 10 minutes, 27-15 Breakers.
The Breakers looked as though they could pull away in the second quarter, but Kofi Josephs had other ideas. A pair of three of three-pointers opened his scoring for the evening as the Bradford Dragons went on a 6-2 run, forcing Coach Beddow-Patel into a quick timeout. Bradford continued to pour in the points after the timeout, and a 16-8 run, capped by a Jordan Whelan lay-up, tied the scores at 37, forcing the Breakers in to another timeout.
A huge put-back dunk from Adrain Scarborough, put some wind back in the sails of the Breakers, before U18 player Kalvin Oates stepped up and hit a huge 3-pointer, bringing the packed Bletchley Leisure Centre crowd to their feet. A steal from Jordan Spencer set up Kai Walker for a lay-up as the Breakers went in to half time with some breathing space, ahead 49-43.
Tickets: MK Breakers vs Loughborough Riders Wednesday 2nd April
Kai Walker again struck for the Breakers, opening the second half with a three-pointer before converting a lay-up on the fast break. Bradford responded through Micah Savery-Richards and Whelan as the teams continue to trade. A Jordan Spencer 3-pointer put the Breakers ahead 61-54. Another Adrian Scarborough dunk off a Romario Spence assist and a Kai Walker lay-up pushed the lead out to 10 at 68-58 before Kalvin Oates hit his second three-pointer of the game, Breakers ahead 71-58 with less than two minutes in the third quarter.
Again the Breakers looked like they may pull away however Justin Williams had other ideas for the resilient Bradford Dragons. He scored seven points in the final two minutes of the period, plus a layup from Micah Savery-Richards got Bradford back within touching difference 73-67 at the end of three quarters.
The teams continue to trade to open the final period and a ridiculously tough step back three-point shot from Justin Williams levelled the scores at 79 with just over five minutes to play. Spencer would respond with a three-pointer of his own before Scarborough rattled off three quick points to put the Breakers ahead 88-79 and all but seal the game. With Bradford having to foul, Jordan Spencer held his nerve at the free-throw line making four free-throws in the closing seconds to see the Breakers home for an all important victory.
Scarborough led the scoring for the Breakers with 22 points and 12 rebounds. He was well supported by Jordan Spencer (18 points, 6 assists) and Kai Walker (16 points, 9 rebounds, 7 assists). Romario Spence had his best game for the Breakers, his energy in the fourth quarter sparked the run that secured the win, as he finished with 9 points. For Bradford Justin Williams Scored 32 points. He was joined in double figures by Kofi Joseph (15), Micah Savery-Richards (14) and Jordan Whelan (12).
With Essex (14-9) and Loughborough (13-9) also picking up wins this weekend, the race for fourth place is heating up. The Breakers (14-8) hold a slight advantage having picked up away wins over Essex (62-83) and Loughborough (82-90) earlier in the season, but it is all to play for this week! Tickets for both games available HERE.
