MK Breakers Men took to the floor for their first ever BCB League game on Saturday, taking on London Cavaliers at Bletchley Leisure Centre on Saturday.
The Breakers would overcome a sluggish first half to complete a 15-point comeback, eventually running out 80-73 winners.
Before the game, both teams held a minute’s silence to mark the passing of former Ipswich, London Leopards and Hemel Storm Centre Lee Linton-Hodges who passed away suddenly last Sunday.
When action did get underway, Nigel Lloyd’s men got off to a fantastic start as they made an array of tough shots to jump out to a 29-19 lead after one quarter. They would continue to score at a rapid rate all the way to half time, Marquel Beasley going 4-7 from three on his way to a 20-point, 5 rebound performance.
But Breakers would finally click into gear in the second half, holding Cavs to just eight points in a third quarter that saw them reduce the deficit to 51-59, before finally tying the game up in the final 10 minutes.
After a period of trading baskets back and forth, Jonas Dietrich would draw a foul as he scored a crucial layup, knocking down the free throw to give his side a one-point lead. Jordan Spencer and Chase Thompson then both hit huge threes, and the game was over as Breakers secured a 80-73 victory to get the new season off to a flying start.
It was another good performance from Thompson, ending the contest with 20 points and seven rebounds, while Jordan Spencer delivered when the team needed him in a 14-point, 6-rebound, 6-assist outing.
“We made things difficult for ourselves in the first half,” said Head Coach Ben Stanley. “But I feel that when we stuck to the game plan and executed the things we’d talked about, we had spells where we looked really good.
“Ultimately we did that enough to win this game and move on to the next one, with time to put in plenty of work this week to continue to improve in terms of consistency, especially on the defensive end.”
Up next for Breakers are two away games, travelling to Newcastle for a league game on October 18, followed by the BCB Trophy Semifinal against COB Rockets on October 26, with tickets available here.