Essex Rebels blow over Bristol Hurricanes in BCB regular season debut 

After a rocky start to the season and a BCB Trophy exit, the Rebels Men put on an outstanding performance against the Bristol Hurricanes to claim a 91-60 victory in their first-ever British Championship Basketball game. 

Following the Rebels Women claiming their second win of the season over the Oakland Wolves in the first tip-off of the day, the Men’s side had a tough act to follow. 

Yet the Rebels started as they meant to go on, as Miles Brown sunk a beautiful three-pointer to give the home side an early 3-0 lead. New arrival Chrishon Briggs announced himself with a three-pointer of his own from the corner, before a slick no-look pass to Brown saw the Rebels go 13-0 up in the opening three minutes.  

After calling an early timeout following the Rebels’ onslaught, the Hurricanes managed to string together seven points in quick succession. 

Despite the visitors attempting to stage a quick comeback, the Rebels were prolific in the remainder of the quarter, as it ended 26-7. Highlights included a looping three-pointer from Johnny McKew and another brilliant piece of offensive play from Miles Brown worth two points.  

Chrishon Briggs kicked off the second quarter by landing another two-point lay-up before successfully converting three out of three free throws as part of a performance that will do no harm to his reputation amongst the home crowd.  

As the away side began to get some joy in transition, the Rebels started to turn up the heat. Miles Brown chalked up six points in the space of around twenty-four seconds, including a steal following a mix-up amongst the visitors around the Hurricanes rim. 

Heading into half time, the Rebels found themselves in a commanding lead, with the score reading 48-29. During the week, Head Coach Joe Hart had said his side needed to put together a consistent performance in order to find their first victory of the season – and at the halfway point it looked like the Rebels were well on their way to doing just that. 

The third quarter saw the Rebels continue to pull away and maintain their healthy lead, as Chrishon Briggs added to his fine display with a curling three-point effort from the corner, while fellow Rebels new boy Harry Gent added a pair of lay-ups worth two points apiece. 

With the score reading 71-39 heading into the fourth quarter, the visitors had a mountain to climb. It was a much better showing from the Hurricanes after the break, as they managed to put away twenty-one points. Captain on the night, Daniel Edozie did his best to rally his side and lead by example as he sunk a pair of two-pointers, but the damage had already been done.  

It was a debut to remember for Chrishon Briggs, as he produced twenty-four points in his first-ever game at the Essex Sport Arena. The American showed his willingness to shoot from range, with a collection of three incredible three-pointers, with a modest 60% success rate.Miles Brown and Kyron Martin also proved their efficiency, contributing 19 and 16 points respectively.

After the game, Head Coach Joe Hart said: 

“Good to finally have our group fully together. Was pleased that everyone was able to contribute to the first win of the seasoon. Ready to get back to work Monday and prepare for next weeks opponents.”