After a three-game losing streak, MK Breakers Men travelled south to take on Bristol Hurricanes, seeking not only a return to winning ways but also enough points to secure a home playoff game.
Losses to Newcastle, Derby and Yorkshire had dented those hopes, but with players returning from injury and a renewed sense of urgency, they would quickly jump out to a lead at the UWE Centre for Sport.
In quick succession, Chase Thompson, Dashawn Jackson and Jonas Dieterich all hit from behind the three point line to put the visitors in control. Early in the second quarter, Jordan Spencer and Blayne Freckleton would do the same, but after half time Bristol would battle back into the game.
Turning what had appeared to be a comfortable outing suddenly became a contest as Hurricanes out-rebounded Breakers at both ends of the floor. That platform – along with some big shots – allowed them to cut what had been a 20-point lead down to just five as the third quarter drew to a close.
Back-to-back scores from Ben Baker to start the fourth quarter would restore some confidence into the MK side, before a big three from Dieterich with just over two minutes left to play secured the victory. With a final scoreline of 84-72 in favour of his team, Head Coach Ben Stanley was a relieved man when the buzzer sounded. “It’s always good to get a win, but we’ve got to do a better job when it comes to shot selection,” he said. “That’s going to be the decisive factor for us down the stretch, and it impacts every aspect of our game, from our ability to rebound to us being able to limit opponents playing in transition.
“If we move the ball and hunt good shots, we can compete with anyone in this league, but when we don’t we cause ourselves problems. We’ll work on that this week, and we hope we can show our fans just what this team is capable of over the two games and into the playoffs.”
This week sees Breakers returning to Bletchley Leisure Centre for their final home game of the season, with a 17:00 tip-off on April 4. Tickets for that encounter with Nottingham Hoods are available here.
