With a home playoff game secured and a raft of roster changes, there was a very different feeling to the latest MK Breakers Men’s game at Bletchley Leisure Centre on Saturday evening.
Nottingham Hoods were the visitors and, despite a packed home crowd making it difficult, it would be the away side who got off to the better start. Tyrone Williams poured in 19 points in the first quarter alone, but Breakers were determined not to let them pull away and repeatedly found ways to keep the game close.
Mike New Jr would hit a number of big shots early in the game, before Kalvin Oates came off the bench and drained a three pointer before hitting a wide open New who did the same. When those shots didn’t fall, Luke Gregory came up with some big offensive rebounds and as the first half drew to a close, some great team basketball finally saw the home team take the lead.
Two Jordan Spencer free throws would put them ahead, then a Kai Williams layup and a three from Jonas Dieterich saw them go into the break with a 53-51 advantage. The game would see-saw over the third quarter as neither side could string together enough stops to gain the upper hand.
But, at the start of the fourth, Hoods would find a way. A three from Donell Nixon was followed by two quick steals that led to breakaway dunks, while the Breakers offence struggled to create the same opportunities it had until that point.
In a matter of minutes, this finely balanced game got away from Head Coach Ben Stanley’s men, and the visitors would head back to Nottingham with a victory, the 101-81 final score not reflecting the true story of the game.
Next weekend sees Breakers travelling to Reading for their final game of the season, returning to Bletchley Leisure Centre for their first round playoff game on April 18. Their opponents have yet to be decided, but tickets are available here.