Rebels Stunned by Hurricanes
The Essex Rebels suffered a shock 86–78 defeat to the Bristol Hurricanes in the latest round of British Championship Basketball fixtures.
The loss sees the Rebels remain tenth in the table, two points behind Worthing Thunder in ninth place. The Thunder’s failure to secure a result against Hemel Storm over the weekend keeps them within reach in the league standings.
The Hurricanes opened the scoring in the first quarter courtesy of a Denzel Ubiaro lay-up, before the home side quickly gained a foothold in the game, establishing a 16–7 lead with just under four minutes left to play.
The Rebels, without leading scorer Miles Brown—who has been a constant for the team, particularly on the offensive side—showed their resilience by responding quickly. Harry Gent hustled to earn a foul, as well as recording a vital steal and defensive rebound, before Kyron Martin hit three successive three-pointers to complete a successful smash-and-grab, handing the visitors a 23–21 lead heading into the second quarter.
A refreshed Rebels side carried their momentum into the next ten minutes, with Kyron Martin, Michael Amako and Tyrese Hudson enjoying a fruitful scoring spell early in the second quarter. Tom Child hit a three-pointer to give the Rebels an 11-point lead, before adding another less than a minute later.
The home side responded with a pair of three-pointers in an effort to reduce the deficit, but the Rebels held a 47–39 lead heading into halftime.
After the break, the home side began to build momentum. Vilmantas Dilys and Corey Samuels combined in an eight-point scoring run that saw the Hurricanes cut the deficit and threaten a comeback. Samuels then converted twice from the free-throw line, before Denzel Ubiaro added a free throw and a lay-up to give his side a 60–57 lead heading into the final quarter.
Despite their best efforts, the Rebels were unable to regain the lead in the final period, as the Hurricanes produced a composed display to protect their advantage.
Denzel Ubiaro added a further nine points to his tally, while Jules Dang-Akodo contributed a three-pointer along with three free throws to put the Hurricanes firmly out of reach.
The Rebels return to action this weekend as the Birmingham Rockets visit the Essex Sport Arena for more British Championship Basketball action.
TOP PERFORMERS
Bristol Hurricanes
- Denzel Ubiaro – 20 points – 5 rebounds – 4 assists
- Vilmantas Dilys -17 points – 5 rebounds – 3 assists
- Elvisi Dusha – 14 points – 1 rebound – 6 assists
Essex Rebels
- Kyron Martin – 23 points – 10 rebounds – 4 assists
- Tom Child – 13 points – 5 rebounds – 2 assists
- Remy Udeh – 9 points – 2 rebounds – 1 assists
By Nicholas Melton
