City of Birmingham Rockets grounded by Worthing Thunder

This was their first victory against a side above them in the standings this season as they dealt Nuno Rodrigues’ men a fifth straight defeat in the league.

Tom Ward wasted no time in opening the account for the year, scoring a three in seventeen seconds.

Thunder found their range early on as Jake Eynon also joined in the scoring to give the home team an early buffer.

The battle lines were being drawn down low with Ben Tew and Martyn Gayle scoring a pair of baskets each to tie the game.

Two threes in a row from the left corner courtesy of Hafeez Abdul maintained the game’s incredibly small margins in the opening exchanges.

Samuel Toluwase’s aggression right by the basket proved to be a pain giving Daniel Johnson-Thompson and Hafeez Abdul a lot to handle, even without factoring in former Thunder player Orlan Jackman.

Any previous goodwill between Jackman, who achieved a double-double in points and rebounds, and current captain Hafeez Abdul had clearly been put aside for the evening.

Despite trading baskets at times, it was the visitors who seemed to have an answer for the questions they were being asked, taking a six-point lead into the first break.

Birmingham hit their purple patch right at the start of the second quarter.

Led by Orlan Jackman, they’d double their lead to 12 giving them their biggest lead of the night as Samuel Toluwase slammed it home.

Worthing coach Mike Blatchford kept the faith, not opting for a timeout as the home side hit back instantly with a 9-0 run slashing the Rockets lead to just three.

Zaire Taylor, Tom Ward and Daniel Johnson-Thompson all led the fight back with the latter being the standout.

His six-points put him a close third in the individual scoring in the first half as he battled tooth and nail with both Ben Tew and Orlan Jackman.

Back-to-back baskets from Hafeez Abdul was enough to neutralise Nektarios Papadopoulos’ effort from three with his and Jake Eynon’s six-points in the first half coming exclusively outside the perimeter.

Thunder entered the break looking good value for their two-point lead.

Thunder began the second half just as they’d ended the first, combining already great offence with even better defence.

Hafeez Abdul and Zaire Taylor overpowered the midlands opposition forcing them to feed off the scraps of a Reiss Faure-Daley lay-up early on.

Elsewhere, a battle of the generations had set up, 19-year-old Tyler Fairbairn taking on Commonwealth Games gold medallist Orlan Jackman.

The 35-year-old from London set out his stall early as he denied Fairbairn a lay-up.

Tyler’s calm ferocity, which he shares with twin brother John, shone through as he blew Jackman away the very next possession as he coolly put the ball home from close range.

The Solent recruit would cap off a brilliant minute, converting Jake Eynon’s steal stylishly with a reverse lay-up.

Tom Ward and Zaire Taylor could hardly keep themselves off the score sheet, putting the exclamation mark on a spell which forced Portuguese coach Nuno Rodrigues to call a timeout with his side adrift by eight.

The last minute of a dream quarter belonged to Ishmael Fontaine, whose precision from the free throw line and perimeter gave his team a sixteen-point lead at the best possible time.

Zaire Taylor was once again the provider on a night he achieved a double-double in points and assists.

The beginning of the fourth proved Thunder needed their buffer as Birmingham started quickly out of the blocks.

Blink and you’ll miss it basketball from Martyn Gayle and Samuel Toluwase, as well as Karl Teesdale impressing from long range, was enough to splinter the home side’s advantage to seven-points.

Thunder captain Hafeez Abdul, whose 19 points was only equalled by Rockets’ Samuel Toluwase, once again stepped up to the fore, sealing the deal as they kept an incredibly competitive and aggressive side at a somewhat secure distance.

Joshua Palmer found the basket right at the end, ensuring he got reward for his 13 minutes’ labour.

The victory hauls Thunder one place up the league, putting them one win away from the final play-off berth currently occupied by Bradford Dragons with a game in hand.

Individual Thunder scores:

Worthing Thunder:

Hafeez Abdul – 19

Tom Ward – 18

Zaire Taylor – 14

Daniel Johnson-

Thompson – 12

Tyler Fairbairn - 10

City of Birmingham

Rockets

Samuel Toluwase – 19

Orlan Jackman – 12

Martyn Gayle – 11

Karl Teesdale – 7

Ben Tew - 6

Scoring by quarter intervals (home-away): 20-26, 44-42, 70-54, 88-76.