Having beaten Nottingham Hoods in last week’s quarter final, MK Breakers Men travelled south on Sunday, taking on Reading Rockets for a place in the first-ever British Championship Basketball Final.
Taking on the no.1 seed at a sold out Rivermeade Leisure Centre was always going to be a tough task, but the challenge grew even greater following a near-perfect start from an impressive Rockets side.
Yusef Salih, Zain Poorman and Victor Olarerin all hit early threes, while any misses were cleaned up by Ty Nsangu as the home team jumped out to an early lead. A corner three from Kalvin Oates would stem the tide, and slowly Breakers began to work their way back into the contest.
As has been the case in recent weeks, it would be veterans Kai Williams – who finished with 15 points – and Mike New Jr (12) who led the way, the pair delivering on both ends to help the visitors win the second quarter.
Jonas Dieterich would record an impressive 11-point, 10 rebound performance played his part, while Jordan Spencer battled a niggling injury to finish the game with 13 points, four rebounds and five assists.
Reading would ultimately be the ones to advance after an 85-64 victory, but not before Williams punctuated his afternoon with a statement block on Nsangu that will live long in the memory of the Breakers fans who witnessed it.
“The slow start really hurt us,” said Head Coach Ben Stanley. “We did well to slowly chip away at their lead but this is an impressive Reading team who deservedly finished top of the league.
“I’m proud of the guys for the performances they’ve delivered over the past few weeks and, while this is not how we wanted it to end, we’ve shown that this group can compete with anyone in this league.”