Match Reports 2018/19

Dragons’ Season ends in dramatic fashion

3/4/2019

Bradford Dragons’ season came to a dramatic end on Sunday afternoon, with them narrowly missing out on the final post season playoff berth. Having defeated Barking Abbey Crusaders, 74-70, on Saturday evening and other results having gone in their favour, a win against third placed Loughborough Riders would have been enough to see the Dragons in the playoffs, however despite pushing Loughborough all the way to the final minute, they fell just short of the mark, 79-82.

Barking Abbey arrived in the Dragons’ Den on Saturday evening, just a week after having secured their own survival in the top flight for another season. With nothing for the Kentish side to play for, this could have been an easy win for Chris Mellor’s side, although the Crusaders clearly had other ideas.

The game got off to an absolute flyer, with Ricky Fetske winning the tip-off, pushing the ball forward to the waiting Rihards Šulcs who had a clear route to the basket, laying up for two points within the opening five seconds of the game. The opening minutes then saw the two sides trading baskets; however, gradually the Crusaders started to take a grip on the game, opening a ten-point lead, 13-23. A couple of baskets from Andreas Lycoudis at the end of the quarter was not enough to stop the visitors from going into the first break with a healthy seven-point advantage, 17-24.

The second period followed a similar path to the first, with both sides balancing one another out, although two three-pointers, from Rafi Saipe and Lycoudis, in the final moments, sent Bradford back to the locker rooms just three points behind, 35-38.

The visitors maintained their lead for the opening minutes of the third quarter, however with just under five minutes played another layup by Šulcs finally levelled the game. Fetske then gave the hosts their first lead since the opening quarter, bucketing his jump shot for two and although Barking kept the scores close Bradford finished the penultimate quarter with a slim advantage, 51-49.

Within the opening four minutes of the final quarter, the Dragons’ led was extended to eleven points, putting them firmly in control. But, Barking would not lie down and they slowly brought themselves back into contention. With little under ninety seconds remaining on the clock, the game was once again tied, 66-66. Saipe popped in a two, and followed it up with a couple of free throws to put the Dragons four ahead, and with Barking now forced to give away fouls in an attempt to regain possession, Saipe remained clinical from the line, ensuring that Bradford were victorious, 74-70.

Fetske topped the Bradford scorers, clocking up a double-double with 20 points and 12 rebounds. The University of Bradford Player of the Game, Saipe, contributed 17 points, whilst Lycoudis added a further 13 points and Šulcs 12 points (plus 10 rebounds).

Defeats for both Leicester Warriors and Hemel Storm meant that a win against Sunday’s opponents, Loughborough Riders, would secure at least one more game for the Dragon’s season. The Riders had already secured third place in the league, ensuring a home tie against Reading Rockets and they again had nothing but pride to play for.

The game started with a carbon copy of the previous evening, Fetske to Šulcs, Šulcs with the layup – clearly something they have been working on in training. The game remained tight and with five minutes played there was only a single point to separate the two teams, 10-11.

Suddenly, the Riders stepped up a gear and literally swept the Dragons aside. When the buzzer sounded at the end of the opening quarter the visitors held a double figures lead, 19-30.

Allie Fullah and Fetske pulled the deficit back to seven, early in the second; however, Lougborough remained strong and at the half time interval the gap was back to eleven points, 43-54, and Bradford’s chances of qualification seemed shot.

Whatever Mellor said to his players during the break seemed to work wonders as a determined Dragons’ side took to the court for the start of the second half. A three from Lycoudis, followed by twos from Fetske and Šulcs and suddenly the gap was down to four points. The hosts, through tenacious defending, restricted their guests to just nine points in the third quarter, whilst adding nineteen to their own total, leaving them only a single point behind going into the final ten minutes, 62-63.

Three minutes into that final quarter, Loughborough had failed to add to their total and Bradford found themselves seven points ahead, 70-63, and suddenly the crowd could sense an unlikely victory on the cards.

For the remainder of the game, it seemed as though every decision went against the home side, allowing the visitors to get a foothold back in the game. With the scores level, and just thirteen seconds on the clock, Šulcs was alleged to have fouled Niall Harris, as he was lining up a three-point shot, sending the Loughborough player to the line. Harris made no mistakes and those three points were enough to see the Riders over the line and shatter the hopes of the Bradford contingent (79-82).

The game high score went to Bradford’s Jermayne Laing, with 21 points, whilst Saipe put in another good shift with 18 points and Lycoudis contributing 14 points. Fetske clocked up yet another double-double with 10 points and 12 rebounds.

The defeat resulted in Bradford finishing ninth in the Division One table, with Leicester Warriors holding on to eighth and the final play off berth.

A simple statement from Chris Mellor summed up the mood in the Bradford camp. “It’s obviously very disappointing to come up just short of a playoff spot, but I thought we played really well in the second half and gave everything.”

Photographs © Alex Daniel Photography

Dragons slay Big Cats to make it four on the bounce.

19/3/2019

Bradford Dragons, safe in the knowledge that their Division One status has been preserved for another season, celebrated with a fourth straight win, comfortably beating Essex Leopards (100-85) in the Dragons’ Den on Sunday afternoon.

The Dragons had the evening off on Saturday; however, defeats for three of the teams below them in the table effectively secured their place in Division One for another season. Nevertheless, both Bradford and Essex had a lot to play for, with the Dragons still harbouring thoughts of making the end of season playoffs, fuelled greatly by their recent resurgence in form, whereas a win for the Leopards would secure their spot in the top eight.

Lee Hodges opened the scoring with a layup for the Big Cats, adding a single from the line to give Essex an early three-point lead. Allie Fullah responded by slamming in a dunk for the Dragons, before another Hodges layup restored the gap..

The opening minutes followed a similar pattern, with the two sides trading baskets, however an unanswered seven-point streak by the visitors, mid-way through the opening period saw the Leopards go eight ahead (7-15).

The hosts reduced the gap to five, thanks to another dunk (plus one) from Fullah and a layup by Ricky Fetske, but Essex stretched it out again, this time to ten points. A three from Andreas Lycoudis followed by a single from Jermayne Laing restricted the damage to six (16-22) going into the first break

Double delight for rejuvenated Bradford Dragons.

12/3/2019

Bradford Dragons pulled off a double victory over the weekend, defeating Thames Valley Cavaliers (91-86) at the University of Bradford’s Unique Fitness Centre, on Saturday and then demolishing Manchester Magic (63-83) at the Manchester Basketball Centre, the following day.

In the reverse fixture against Thames Valley, in Uxbridge at the beginning of December, the Dragons had been ripped apart by the Cavaliers (90-115), going twenty-three points down within the opening five minutes. However, following last weekends victory at Team Newcastle University, morale within the Bradford camp was high.

The Dragons started the game at a high tempo, rocketing into an 8-1 lead inside the first couple of minutes. This spurred the visiting Cavaliers into an unanswered eleven-point streak, to put themselves in the driving seat (8-12). Matthew Armstrong bucketed a long range three to pull the game back to within a single point, however the Cavaliers maintained their lead, through to the end of the opening period, which finished at 16-19.

The Cavaliers extended their lead to eight points, early in the second quarter however a succession of threes from Bradford’s Rihards Šulcs and Rafi Saipe (x2), saw Bradford back ahead, three minutes in.
The visitors regained their lead, extending up to seven points, however the Dragons dug in and when the buzzer sounded, at the end of the half, the damage had been limited to just two points (40-42).

Victory eases Bradford Dragons relegation fears.

6/3/2019

The Dragons visited the North East of England, for their National Basketball League Division One fixture against Team Newcastle University on Saturday Evening, where a strong team performance paid off, giving Bradford their first league victory of 2019 (73-84).

It was an important game for both sides, with Newcastle sitting just one position and two points behind Bradford in the league table. A win for the hosts would have seen them jump ahead in the standings, potentially pushing the Dragons into the drop zone.

The visitors got off to a flying start, Allie Fullah winning the jump ball and setting Jermayne Laing for the first attempt of the game. Laing’s shot bounced back off the rim, but Fullah was there to take the rebound and follow up with a dunk to put the Dragons ahead.

Latvian, Rihards Šulcs doubled the lead just seconds later, before Newcastle put up their first points of the game – a three from Benedict Seipt. The two sides traded baskets throughout most of the opening session, with Bradford doing just enough to keep their noses ahead. With three and a half minutes of the period to play, the Dragons’ lead was just two points (13-15), but then scores from Ricky Fetske and Andreas Lycoudis increased the gap to six.

Seipt again scored for Newcastle, before a triple run of threes by Bradford (Fetske and Lycoudis x2) closed the period out with the Dragons firmly in control (15-28).

Šulcs extended the lead to fifteen, early in the second period, but then Tosan Evbuomwan hit a three and Onyekachi Nzerem a two, to pull the hosts back within ten (20-30). From there, the play levelled out and when the buzzer sounded for half time, the difference remained at ten, with the scores at 35-45.

Šulcs drew a foul in the first play after the interval and he made no mistake with the resulting shots from the line. Fetske then dunked to extend the away advantage to fourteen, before a three from Nzerem and a couple of singles from Seipt brought it back to a single figure game (40-49).

Bradford pulled away again, and halfway through the third quarter they looked strong with a seventeen-point lead (42-59); however, a succession of missed opportunities then allowed the hosts back in. As the penultimate period closed, the gap was down to just five points (57-62) and it looked set for a tense final quarter.

Close, but no cigar for luckless Dragons.

26/2/2019

Bradford Dragons faced two home fixtures over a busy weekend schedule, but came away pointless, as first Hemel Storm (90-98) and then Leicester Warriors (91-99) extended the Dragons winless streak to nine games.

On Saturday, Hemel entered the Den, just two points and one place below the Dragons in the league standings. However, they have experienced an upturn in results since the turn of the year, including a win at current league leaders, Worthing Thunder, earlier this month.

Bradford started the game strongly, storming into a 6-0 lead during the opening exchanges. Having traded baskets for a while, Hemel managed to gain the advantage, with just under three minutes of the first period remaining. The Dragons tied the game up again before Hemel pulled ahead again, going into the first break with a slender two-point lead (17-19).

Huge Double Header Awaits Fireless Dragons.

19/2/2019

Bradford Dragons’ dismal start to 2019 continued at the weekend with a forty-point annihilation (100-60) at the home of Reading Rockets on Sunday afternoon. The defeat leaves the Dragons precariously positioned just above the relegation spots in the National Basketball League first division.

Reading, who themselves were on a three-game losing streak, are one of the longest established teams in the English game boasting a list of honours that Chris Mellor’s men can only dream of at this point in time. Alan Keane, who is in his first season as head coach of the club, having been an assistant since 2016, has maintained a strong nucleus of a team, which includes long serving club captain, Danny Carter.

Bradford’s only lead of the game came after just ten seconds, when Jermayne Laing was fouled in the act of shooting. However, Laing could only convert one of his two free throws, giving his side just a single point lead. The scores were levelled, once again from the free throw line, thirty seconds later when AJ Carr also sank one from two. However, Carr followed through with the next two scores, a two-point layup followed by a three-point jump shot, to give the Rockets a five-point advantage.

Four minutes in, the game was tied at eight a piece when Rihards Šulcs scored with a layup, whilst also drawing a foul and converting from the line for the extra point. But, first Carr and then David Chive scored to build up a seven-point home advantage.

Rafi Saipe reduced the deficit to five and then Šulcs repeated his previous pattern to pull back to a two-point ball-game; however, by the time the opening period drew to a close the Rockets were six points to the good (21-15), that being despite Šulcs having the final say with a two-point jump shot.

It was all one-way traffic in the second period, with the Rockets widening their advantage to 17 points within two-and-a-half minutes of the restart and with Bradford yet to add to their tally. By the time the buzzer announced the half time interval, the Dragons were down by twenty-six (54-28).

Bradford’s American Power-Forward, Ricky Fetske sank an early three pointer after the break and the third quarter proved to be the visitor’s best period of the game, reducing the gap to twenty points (73-53) by the end of the penultimate session.

Any hope of a Dragons’ revival was whitewashed in the final quarter, with the hosts bringing up the ton, whilst restricting Bradford to a mere seven points in the final ten minutes. Bradford faced a long drive home, following their heaviest defeat of the season (100-60).

Rafi Saipe clocked up the high score for the Dragons, making a personal tally of 17 points. Šulcs followed close behind with 16 points, whilst Fetske and Allie Fullah also hit double figures with 12 and 10 points respectively.

Reading’s Carr took the game high with 28 points and Chive also contributed 18 points to the winning total.

Dragons’ head coach, Chris Mellor made no excuses for his team, merely stating, “It was a very poor performance and we need to regroup quickly for some big upcoming games.”

Those games start this coming weekend, with the Dragons facing a vital home double-header against sides in and around the relegation fight. On Saturday (6:15pm) the Dragons face Hemel Storm, who currently sit just one position and two points behind Bradford. A win for Hemel would see them leap-frog Bradford, a scenario that Mellor’s men can ill afford.

Then, on Sunday (4:15pm), Leicester Warriors provide the opposition in the Dragons’ Den. Leicester have pulled a few good results together in recent weeks and currently sit four points above Bradford. It could be a make or break weekend for Mellor’s men, who must target two wins from the weekend’s fixtures.
Advance tickets for both games are available via the Dragons’ website.

Photographs © Alex Daniel Photography.

Worrying times for Dragons as they fall to sixth straight defeat.

11/2/2019

It’s a situation that would not have been considered possible when Bradford Dragons got off to their best ever start to a National Basketball League division one season, with seven straight wins across all competitions. But, a drastic twist of fortune which has now seen six straight defeats - the latest of which was a home fixture against Derby Trailblazers (90-104) on Saturday evening – and only winning one from their last nine, sees them now firmly entrenched in a battle against relegation.

Some would say that circumstances have conspired against the Dragons this season and it must be said that the sudden loss of American Point Guard, Drexler Clark, has been a significant factor in their downfall. However, the remaining players have also demonstrated their potential, not least by beating top of the league, Team Solent Kestrels, in the final game of 2018. Perhaps that result played a part in Chris Mellor’s decision not to replace Clark before the transfer window closed at the end of January; however, time will tell whether, or not, that is a decision he lives to regret.

Thunder Rolls Over Bradford … Again!

6/2/2019

Worthing Thunder completed a clean sweep of victories over the Bradford Dragons, with a 98-67 victory in the National Basketball League, at the Worthing Leisure Centre, on Saturday evening.

Bradford are yet to register a win in 2019 and this defeat came hot on the heals of their exit from the National Trophy, having lost their semi-final fixture, in the Dragons’ Den, also against Worthing, the previous weekend. In fact, it was the fourth time that the two teams had met this season, with Worthing having taken the spoils in all three previous fixtures.

The Dragons did put the first points on the board, a three-pointer from Rafi Saipe, after their hosts had missed their first three attempts at the basket. Rihards Šulcs then made it 0-5 to the Dragons and Andreas Lycoudis sank two of his three free throws to give Bradford a seven-point advantage.
With just two and a half minutes played, Šulcs dropped in another two, and, with the hosts yet to get off the mark, the Dragons held an early 0-9 lead.

Dragons get mauled by Leopards

24/1/2019

Bradford Dragons suffered their third straight defeat in a row (91-79), when they visited Essex Leopards on Sunday afternoon, for their National Basketball League division one fixture.

It was the first time that the two sides had met since Essex’s surprise elevation back to the top flight, following Team Northumbria’s withdrawal from the league during the summer. And whilst it took some time for the Leopards to find their feet, recent results suggest that they are certainly ready to compete at this level.

Bradford travelled without Rafi Saipe (injury) and Jermaine Laing (unavailable) but were joined on the bench by youngster Great Osobar, who has been making himself noticed in the Dragons under 18s this season.

Dragons suffer miserable start to 2019

15/1/2019

Bradford Dragons travelled to the Wildcats Arena in Nottingham on Saturday evening, for a National Basketball League Division One fixture against Nottingham McDonalds Hoods, but travelled home with their tails between their legs following a heavy 90-65 defeat.

The previous weekend the Dragons had faced another away trip to Barking Abbey Crusaders, in which an injury ravaged Dragons side had been despatched 88-64 by the Kentish side.

Both Bradford and division one rookies, Nottingham were level on league points, prior to Saturday’s fixture. The Dragons sat just one place above the Hoods in the table, by virtue of Bradford winning the reverse fixture, 103-91, on the opening day of the season back in October, a game which saw Drexler Clark hitting a game high 33 points for Bradford.

Having since lost the services of Clark, who has returned home to the United States of America, the Dragons have struggled to maintain consistency over the last couple of months, despite having enjoyed their best start ever to a division one campaign.

Bradford trailed from the onset, as Dalaney Powell sinking the first points of the game within three seconds of the tip-off. Rihards Šulcs levelled for the Dragons, before the hosts went on an unanswered nine-point run, to give them the early advantage.

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