With their adventure in the BCB Trophy over, MK Breakers Men returned to league action on Saturday, taking on Bristol Hurricanes at a Bletchley Leisure Centre. The home side got back to winning ways, eventually running out 88-69 winners.
The home team were without injured duo Jordan Spencer and Blayne Freckleton, but were backed by a noisy crowd who got behind the team right from the opening tip-off. Breakers had a slow start, trailing 13-17 after the first six minutes of action before Luke Gregory was sent in from the bench.
Immediately, the veteran forward sparked his team into action, snaring an offensive rebound and scoring from close range. Gregory then cleaned the glass at the other end and ran the floor, converting another layup thanks to Xavier Wilson’s smart pass to bring the crowd to their feet.
It proved to be just the injection of energy that Breakers needed as they ended Q1 with a 25-19 lead that grew to 12 points by half-time, with Hurricanes unable to ever truly make it a contest after that.
Gregory would end the game with a team-high 16 points on 8-of-8 shooting, as well as five rebounds and an assist. Wilson also had 16 points of his own, adding three rebounds, three assists and five steals, while three other Breakers – Ben Baker, Chase Thompson and DaShawn Jackson – all hit double figures.
It was that feeling of collective effort that left Head Coach Ben Stanley most pleased after the final buzzer sounded. “A much more connected and urgent performance from us as a group today,” he said. “Things we’ve been working on were evident on the court today. It’s only one small step but we’ve proven we can move in the right direction”
Breakers will hope to continue that momentum when they travel to Harvey Haddon Sports Village for a game against Nottingham Hoods on Friday, November 7. Tip-off is at 19:30 and tickets are available here.