MK Breakers U14 Girls Crowned National Champions

Three MK Breakers teams were in Manchester this past weekend, taking part in the Junior Final Fours held as always at the National Basketball Performance Center.

This traditional ending to the season gives teams a chance to compete for national championships, as well as a chance for our young players to test themselves against the very best opposition.

Breakers headed north with two titles to defend, with our U14 Boys and U14 Girls both clinching glory 12 months ago. Saturday saw the boys – who had gone through the regular season without losing a single game – seeking to do just that against a tough Reading Rockets team, ultimately falling short 64-74 to an extremely well-coached and talented side.

Back in action on Sunday, they showed incredible resilience to bounce back, jumping out to an early lead in the Third/Fourth Place Playoff against Richmond Knights. While their opponents fought back, Breakers kept in control and saw them off, executing down the stretch to win the game 78-75.

The U16 Girls had to dig deep to see off COLA in their own semifinal, the game firmly in the balance as Breakers went into the fourth quarter with a 37-35 lead. But they would dominate the final 10 minutes to eventually win the game by a 57-43 scoreline and advance to Sunday’s showpiece final.

Sadly they would fall short, unable to see off a determined Kingston Lions outfit who claimed the title behind a 66-60 victory in a game that either team could have won.

Meanwhile, the U14 girls set about defending their status as champions with a strong 75-62 semifinal win over Sheffield Hatters, setting up an epic finale against Manchester Mystics on Sunday afternoon.

In a strong defensive display, they forced no fewer than 46 turnovers from their opponents and ran out 74-62 winners to claim a second consecutive national title at this age group.

While Coach Gareth Taylor was rightly proud of his entire group, it would be Holly Smith-White who claimed MVP honours for the weekend with two superb displays, following her 22-point, 10-rebound semifinal performance with 29 points and 11 boards in the final.

Everyone at MK Breakers would like to congratulate our U14 Girls on their championship victory, while also celebrating the remarkable accomplishments of all three teams this season.