Hoods Swept in Double Header Against Milton Keynes

The Hoods were locked in their second double header of the season last weekend. The team made their way to the Bletchley Leisure Center in Milton Keynes to finally put a cap on their road trip. And after a difficult first game, the Hoods finally returned to Nottingham for the home fixture on Sunday where the Breakers would complete their sweep. 

The Breakers struck first in Game one as Woodward fired a three late into the shot clock. Kahn tried answering back with a three of his own but couldn’t find the bottom of the net. Both teams were locked in a stalemate for a minute before Cam Kahn finally put the Hoods on the board, breaking through the Breakers’ zone. After a fast break by Elliot Bailey to go up one, the Hoods trailed for the remainder of the quarter. The deficit grew to ten after a basket from New Jr. Cam Polak brought it back to within seven with a three on the other end. Spencer’s reply, however, put the Breakers’ lead back to ten. It was a three point shoot out to close the quarter.

The second period started 25-18. The Hoods came out the gates strong, looking to climb out of the seven-point hole they found themselves in to start the second. The Nottingham side finally managed to turn the tide late in the period off the corner three from Bailey. The Hoods continued to force the issue to see the quarter out, Polak firing a three to close. The quarter ended 40-48, Hoods leading eight.

The Hoods momentum carried over into the second half. After a failed trip to the line by Duffy, the Hoods looked to pull away as Kahn gave Nottingham a twelve point lead with a three. The Breakers took advantage of the Hoods’ physical approach however, taking several trips to the line as the Hoods contested everything inside. Another free throw by Grant saw the Hoods lead fall to only eight. Aggression seemed a double edged swords for the Hoods as they only lead by one heading into the fourth after Pearl’s trip to the line. 

The Hoods started the fourth unconscious from beyond the arc as Sam Akano and Cam Polak sank two three pointers each within the first five minutes. Polak hit another big three late in the quarter to put the Hoods up by ten with four minutes left of the game. Oates immediately replied on the other end with a three of his own to put the game back to within two. After a Moore missed his own early in the shot clock, the Breakers came down in transition where Oates stole the lead hitting a back-to-back three. The Breakers were firmly in the driver’s seat as Spencer made good on both freethrows at the line. With two seconds on the clock, coach Stanley called timeout. Down three, the Hoods were looking for a miracle to which Cam Polak provided off the downscreem from Cam Kahn, into the difficult three point shot to beat the buzzer and force overtime.  

The Breakers looked exhausted in overtime as Sam Akano pounced on their defence in transition for two baskets in a row. Christian Moore extended the Hoods’ lead to seven off the and-one drive, sending Woodward off as he fouled out. Spencer was first to put the Breakers on the board in overtime as he drilled a three to bring the Hoods lead down to four. Off the pick and roll, Duffy flushed the alley-oop, drawing the foul and making the free throw to bring the gap to only one. Chris Moore broke the Breakers’ zone with a three to restore the lead to four. The Hoods looked to finally put an end to the losing streak as the seconds ticked away on the clock. The game looked to be won until a controversial whistle sent Spencer to the line for three freethrows to force a second overtime. 

Cam Kahn looked to put the game to bed in the final period, scoring seven points alone to hold a one point lead over the Breakers. The score was 100-101 but another questionable call sent the Breakers to freethrow line once more to which the Breakers converted. The game ended 102-101, the final shot from the Hoods missing the target. 

The Breakers doubled their tally against the Hoods at Harvey Hadden off their win at home in Milton Keynes. Their momentum seemingly carried over from the previous game, Nickolas Woodward posting 29 points on 50% shooting from the field. 

The Hoods made an encouraging start, looking to make amends after their defeat last time out. Cam Kahn led the way for the Hoods as he put 21 points on the board despite the loss, building on from his 26-point performance in the previous game. Momentum shifted, however, after the half. The Breakers came out with intensity, holding the Hoods to just fifteen in the third quarter. Despite Hood's efforts to fight back, the Breakers saw the game out with a 91-78 win to complete the sweep for the weekend. 

By Gabriel-Javis Megueu