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Dragons end 2019 with a scintillating blowout victory

17/12/2019

 
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Bradford Dragons picked up a fourth win in six league games with a dominant 100-82 victory at the Derby Trailblazers.

The win moves the Dragons to 5-7 on the season and back level on points with the eighth-seeded Leicester Warriors, who despite an inferior point differential, hold the head-to-head over the Dragons.

Despite the nature of the victory, the game wasn’t all plain sailing, like the scoreline might suggest.

The 6-4 Trailblazers opened up the game with a 10-0 run. Sergio Gomez and Charlie Brown both knocked down threes as the visitors went scoreless on their first five possessions.

The Dragons stopped the bleeding and scored six straight as Rihards Šulcs, Ricky Fetske and Albert Margai all got on the scoreboard.

Both teams then seemingly went run for run for the rest of the quarter. The hosts had built up a seven-point lead with just under three minutes to play (19-12).

The Dragons three-point marksman Dave Walsh then knocked down two threes either side of a Margai layup. Handing Coach Mellor’s team their first lead of the game at 20-19.

Jake Wesselingh sunk a three to end the quarter as the Trailblazers held a narrow lead after the opening ten minutes of action.

The visitors had awoken after a slow start and the second quarter was a real indication of the firepower that the Dragons possess.

Rattling off six straight points to begin the quarter, courtesy of two Šulcs buckets and a layup from Clayfell Harris.

Then came the onslaught from behind the three-point line. Five of the Dragons next ten buckets game from deep as Dave Walsh fired in four threes and Andreas Lycoudis also knocked down a treble.

Four successive threes from the Dragons propelled the team into a 45-34 lead with 2:54 to play in the half.

Oliver Stanley cut the lead to nine but Lycoudis was on hand to end the opening half with four successive points. The visitors went into halftime up 51-38 after an emphatic second quarter response.

After a 31-point second period, you would have been forgiven for thinking the Dragons would cool down in the second half.

The Dragons response? A 33-point third quarter that blew the game wide open. The visitors were scoring in abundance as seven players notched buckets in the penultimate quarter.

Jermayne Laing, Fetske and Margai combined for a 12-7 run that ballooned the lead to 18, in the first two-and-a-half minutes of the second half.

The Trailblazers simply could not handle the offensive assault from a red-hot Bradford Dragons.

Dragons up 70-55 with 4:28 left on the clock, went on an 8-0 run in the following two minutes. Increasing the lead to a game-high 23-points. The visitors were in total control of proceedings in Derbyshire against the sixth-seeded Trailblazers.

After three-quarters of play, the Dragons held a 21-point lead (84-63).

A combined 64 points in the second and third quarters meant the Dragons had to maintain their concentration for the final ten minutes of play to take away a much deserved two points.

Doing just that, the hosts only got within 15 points as the visitors ensured the trip back to West Yorkshire was a happy one.

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Dragons fall to frustrating three-point defeat in Reading

10/12/2019

 
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​The Bradford Dragons drop to 4-7 on the season after a 78-75 defeat against the Reading Rockets.

The defeat is the first regular time loss in five league games for Coach Mellor’s team. The visitors matched their 7-3 counterparts for long spells but were ultimately edged in the final seconds of Sunday evenings clash.

The Rockets came into the game look for answers on the back of a season-high 102-77 defeat against the Dragons next opponent, the Derby Trailblazers.

A staple of the recent upsurge in form, the first quarter produced yet another electric start for the Dragons.

Asher Ndah opened the games scoring with a three for the hosts. However, the opening quarter was all about Dave Walsh as he scored 13 of the Dragons 27 points.

Down 5-3, the visitors scored eight straight points to take their first lead of the game. A lead they wouldn’t relinquish for the rest of the half.

The Dragons saw out the final two minutes of the quarter with a 9-5 run that pushed the lead to as many as 10 points (27-17). Walsh knocked down his third three of the game and Rihards Šulcs also added two layups.

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Dragons resurgent run continues with a hard-fought home win

2/12/2019

 
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​Bradford Dragons picked up a third NBL Division One win in four games with a 104-90 victory over the Westminster Warriors.

The win improves the Dragons record to 4-6 on the season and takes the team up to ninth place in the standings. Level on points with eighth placed Leicester Warriors, who despite having an inferior points difference, have the head-to-head against the Dragons. Bradford sit just one spot outside of the playoffs.

Both teams came into Saturday evenings clash with a 3-6 record, looking to snap losing league runs. The Warriors came into the Dragons Den with a two-game losing run, whilst the Dragons lost last time out in a tight overtime defeat at the hands of Hemel Storm.

Capitalising on last weekend’s promising displays, the Dragons wasted no time getting off to a hot start against the Westminster Warriors. Scoring a season-high 36 points in the first quarter.

Dave Walsh opened the games scoring with the first of his four three-pointers in the quarter. The Dragons scored on five of their first six offensive trips to open up a 13-5 lead inside three minutes.

The opening quarter was all about how well the Dragons were able to share the ball. Getting into the driving lines consistently, Rihards Šulcs and Jermayne Laing were able to profit from the hosts’ ball movement at the rim. Combining for 14 assists in the quarter, Bradford crushed the Warriors defence early on.

Five successive lay-ups pushed Dragons into a controlling 25-12 lead with 3:43 to play in the opening period. Afrasyab Khalil and Guy Rundle responded for the Warriors with a 5-0 run to reduce the lead to 8.

Walsh and Andreas Lycoudis rounded out the quarter knocking down three, three-pointers, as the Dragons resident marksman hit his third and fourth three of the evening. Bradford were up 36-23 after the opening 10 minutes.

The second quarter, frustratingly for Coach Mellor, couldn’t have been any more in contrast to the opener. The Dragons scored a lowly 12 points in a turnover-filled second period that the visiting Westminster Warriors dominated.

After a Ricky Fetske three-point jumper had pushed the Bradford lead back to four (45-41), the Dragons went almost four and a half minutes without a basket as the visitors thoroughly took advantage of the hosts offensive struggles.

Jon Johnson scored eight successive points with Philip Lartey and Max Hufschlag adding four points in the Warriors 12-0 run. Johnson took over the quarter, scoring 15 of the Warriors 30 points in the second quarter.

Lycoudis struck a much needed three to end the half, cutting the visitors lead to 53-48 heading into half time.

The third quarter was a back and forth affair, with neither team able to build more than a five-point lead. Šulcs and Fetske combined for 19 of the Dragons 28 points in the penultimate period.

As the Dragons seemingly looked poised to blow open a lead, back came the Warriors with a run of their own. Fortunately, for the home faithful inside of the Dragons Den, it was the hosts who managed to take control of proceedings, ending the quarter 76-71 to the good.

The final quarter followed a similar pattern, as the Dragons blew hot and cold in the matter of a few minutes.

A trio of Šulcs lay-ups to start the fourth quarter was complemented by a third Lycoudis three of the evening. The hosts were up 85-77, representing their largest lead since the first quarter.

Then came a two and a half minute Dragons scoreless run which the Warriors weren’t able to fully capitalise upon. Reducing the arrears to 85-82 with 5:30 left to play on the game clock.

Thankfully for the Dragons, the visitors proceeded to go on a barren run of their own. A run of over three minutes without a bucket provided the Dragons the perfect opportunity to take control of the game.

When Lartey went 1-2 from the free line, trimming the deficit to 93-83, the damage had well and truly been done for the visitors.

The Dragons saw out the final two minutes of play, sealing a gritty 104-90 victory over the Westminster Warriors.

A 31-15 assists advantage for the Dragons who also shot an impressive 14-28 from three. As ball movement and efficient shooting from three-point range proved to be catalysts in the victory.

Coach Mellor commented post game, “The first half was a free flowing up and down game which wasn’t the plan, but second half our defence was much better, and we got multiple stops to pull away in the fourth.”

The Official University of Bradford Player of the Game went to Rihards Šulcs who recorded 26 points, 12 rebounds and 6 assists in a solid all-around performance.

Ricky Fetske notched his fifth double-double of the season with 25 points and 10 rebounds. Notably, Dave Walsh also added 24 points, going 6-13 from three.

Next up at the Dragons Den is the NBL Division One clash against the Leicester Warriors on Saturday, January 11 at 6.15pm.

In Junior Dragons news, the Dragons U16s narrowly defeated York QE 65-60. Meanwhile, the U14s fell to a tough 75-44 defeat by the Hatfield Fliers. The U18s were also on the end of a tough defeat, losing 110-86 against the Mansfield Giants.

Photographs © Alex Daniel Photography
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