Rebels Men Fall on the Road to Worthing

The Essex Rebels fell 109-96 to Worthing Thunder despite an encouraging opening half that saw the visitors establish an early advantage and remain in contention through the opening twenty minutes. 

The Rebels started brightly through Tre Baumgardner III who led the early scoring charge, knocking down back-to-back three-pointers in a 30 second period. Melchi Egbeyemi and Kyron Martin also enjoyed a successful spell which helped the Rebels build a narrow 30-26 lead at the end of the first quarter.  

Essex continued to build momentum early in the second period, extending to an 8-point lead in the first two minutes. However, the momentum shifted dramatically later in the quarter when Worthing began to find their rhythm through Justin Hopkins and Manuel Hernandez, who combined to spark a strong run.  

Hernandez repeatedly attacked the basket while Hopkins provided scoring both inside and outside the Arc. The hosts finished the half strongly to overturn the deficit and take a 59-49 lead into the break. 

The decisive stretch arrived in the third quarter. Worthing’s offence exploded, with Hernandez, Craig and Ostrowsky all making major contributions. Punishing the Rebels defence, Worthing headed into the final quarter leading by 20 at 89-69. 

Determined to make a comeback, the Rebels started the fourth quarter with a renewed energy, reducing the deficit to just 13 in the first two minutes. Baumgardner, Conway and Martin all connected to make crucial baskets to help reduce the deficit. 

Despite the Rebels determination, Worthing continued to capitalise on the counter to ensure they kept their lead. A driving lay-up from Hernadez with 20 seconds on the clock, capped off a strong performance from the hosts who secured a 109-96 victory. 

Perkins’ side will look to comeback from this defeat as they return home to the Essex Sport Arena next weekend as they host Nottingham Hoods on Saturday 14 November with a 6:30 Tip-off.