MK Breakers Women (77) v City of Birmingham Rockets (74)
A gutsy, hard-fought win in front of an enthusiastic home crowd moved the MK Breakers Women to the top of the league after the Saturday Division 2 – Pool A matches.
Going into the game, both teams were carrying just one loss and the expectation was that it was going to be a close contest. The expectation became reality as, when the final buzzer sounded, only three points separated the two sides.
The Breakers were back to full strength with the return of Sarah Round, who helped MK establish and early lead. However, despite her 13 first quarter points, which included there 3-pointers, the Rockets matched MK’s first quarter total of 24 points as a result of multiple trips to the free throw line.
Birmingham’s zone defence had frustrated MK through the first quarter, but in the second quarter MK started to find the gaps. Some great inside play from Lauren Milne earned her seven points in the period and several intelligent kick-outs from Vanessa Obanor gave Kirsten Moran and Courtney Gray opportunities to knock down some long range shots. At the other end of the floor, the Breakers held Birmingham to just seven points giving them a commanding 46-31 half-time lead. The mood was positive going into the break as the quarter had finished with a very well-executed sideline play that ended with a Courtney Gray score on the buzzer.
The Breakers run at the end of the second period had made it look like they had taken control of the game, but not in the eyes of the Rockets. Nuri Calderon led the charge for the visitors as they mounted an impressive comeback. Her fighting spirit on defence and her do-it-all offence energised her teammates as they shaved nine points off the MK lead to finish the quarter just six points behind (62-56). Arguably, the Breakers got what they deserved in the third quarter as their defence was lack lustre and they lost their way offensively.
Coming out for the fourth quarter, MK needed to dig deep to halt Birmingham’s progress. In what proved to be an exciting and entertaining final period packed with lots of impressive play from both teams, it was impossible to predict which way the game was going to go. A series of 3-pointers from the Rockets gave them the lead and it began to look like they were going to steal the win, but MK maintained their composure and re-took the lead. With 11 seconds left on the clock and the score showing as 77-74 in MK’s favour, Birmingham had one last opportunity to force the game to overtime from a sideline play. Although they managed to find the 3-point shot they needed, it was unsuccessful and when the rebound fell to the Breakers, the celebrations began.
Speaking after the game, Coach Round commented, “Birmingham are a talented, well-coached team. They were determined and aggressive in the right way. Calderon had a great game as did Grace Brownell who shot incredibly well.” He added, “We were fortunate that we managed to hang on for the win, but regardless of the result, I enjoyed being part of what was a great contest.”
Next week, MK Breakers Women make the short journey to St Albans where they play an Oaklands team stacked with WEABL players.