​A frenetic first quarter started with Ethan Price converting an and-one opportunity for the hosts on the first possession of the game. 

Dragons were more than holding their own amidst the high-octane opening to the game. With both teams getting to the rim at will, it was very much back and forth in the first half of the opening period. 

Ricky Fetske had his way with the Rebels bigs early on, scoring ten first quarter points to lead the Dragons in scoring. 

by Tom Lamming (Student Press Officer)

Dragons impressive start to Division One play continues

Bradford Dragons claimed a dominant 102-72 home victory against the Oakland Wolves in NBL Division One. 

The Dragons showed no signs of rust in their first competitive game since December 19th, as Coach Mellor’s team improved to 4-1 on the season. 

Playing out of the Nottingham Wildcats Arena for the foreseeable future, the Dragons made the best possible start to life in unfamiliar surroundings, but it wasn’t all plain sailing. 

The visitors came to Nottingham looking to make it three league victories on the bounce and looked much the sharper team, breaking into an early 7-0 lead. 

But once the Dragons got on the scoreboard through Ricky Fetske, the hosts never looked back. Just as quickly as the lead had been made, it disappeared, as the Dragons tied the game at 14. 

The Dragons looked strong defensively from the outset, but it was all about getting re-acclimated on the offensive side of the ball. 

​The hosts came into the game at 1-3 on the season. With the Dragons one of four unbeaten sides in Division One at 2-0, they looked to maintain a perfect start to the season. 

0Captain Ricky Fetske opened the scoring with a three on the first offensive possession of the game. Dragons looked to have settled well on both sides of the ball as they held the Hoods to just two points in the opening four-and-a-half minutes of action.

Showing no signs of fatigue from the journey, the Dragons burst into an early 17-5 lead as the hosts struggled to get anything going offensively. 

Dragons captain Ricky Fetske notched the visitor’s first six points before five Dragons also got in on the action. Tyme Regent-Bascombe (sponsored by Five Wealth, Independent Wealth Management), Rihards Šulcs, Dave Walsh, and Andreas Lycoudis all scored before a Uche Umekwe layup handed the Dragons a 12-point lead with just over two-and-a-half minutes to play in the opening period. 

​Despite another difficult shooting afternoon, the Dragons produced a dominant performance on the boards to springboard them to a thoroughly deserved victory. More on that to come. 

Without games on consecutive weekends since the middle of October, Dragons looked like a team still fighting to get back into rhythm, in the first quarter of their league opener. 

Dragons were taking care of the ball and generating good looks; however, shots simply weren’t falling in the opening period. 

Dave Walsh led the Dragons with five first quarter points, but the play of the first quarter came right at the end of the quarter when Ricky Fetske followed an Albert Margai miss with a ferocious put-back dunk to beat the buzzer. 

Tied at 17 after the first period, Dragons began to kick into gear in the second quarter and never looked back. 

Showing all their experience, Margai and Fetske took the game by the scruff of the neck and catapulted the Dragons into the ascendency. 

Fetske poured in 12 points with Margai adding 8 points of his own in the second period. Dragons closed the half in style, going on an 8-2 run to finish the quarter. 

Tyme Regent-Bascombe (sponsored by Five Wealth, Independent Wealth Management) started the run with a layup off a Margai feed. Regent-Bascombe then turned provider, finding the red-hot New Jersey native Ricky Fetske, who fired home a second three of the quarter to extend the visitors lead to 42-35. 

by Tom Lamming (Student Press Officer)

Bradford Dragons succumbed to a frustrating 84-81 defeat at the hands of long-time Division One rivals Derby Trailblazers in the Dragons final group game of the L Lynch Trophy on Saturday afternoon. 

The Dragons returned to competitive action for the first time in almost a month after various postponements due to COVID. Hoping to stay perfect in group play and secure qualification for the knockout stages, Dragons faced off against a Trailblazers side that was also unbeaten after a 110-81 victory over Newcastle last weekend. 

Perhaps somewhat bizarrely, Dragons were the designated home team for the game, played at the home of the Nottingham Wildcats (the temporary home of the Derby Trailblazers).

​​Looking to build on back-to-back wins to start the season, Dragons began like a team that didn’t quite have their legs under them. Struggling to hit jumpers early on, the hosts got their first six points from layups, but the Trailblazers soon capitalized on the early offensive slump. 

Breaking into a 13-6 lead at the half-way mark of the opening period, Jacob Conway and Malcolm Smith combined for 12 of Derby’s 13 points. 

Rather than continuing to settle for jump shots, Coach Mellor’s team looked to be more aggressive, driving into the paint looking to score or get to the free-throw line. The Dragons did just that as they got to the line six times, converting five of those. 

​Bradford Dragons made it two wins from two to start the season, in a low scoring 74-71 win over Division Two side Myerscough Academy. 

The Dragons hold a commanding position in Group Four heading into next weekend’s final group game against fellow Division One rivals Derby Trailblazers. With the top two from each group advancing to the quarterfinals, Dragons will look to secure a third straight win on their way to the next stage. 

Back to today’s action, in a less than vintage Dragons performance, Chris Mellor’s team showed all of their experience down the stretch as they ground out a clutch victory in the Myerscough bubble. 

In a game of runs and turnovers, the first quarter was the tightest period of the entire game as both teams felt out their opposition in a high-octane opener. Myerscough got the scoring underway through a Dan Gargan layup. Dragons captain Ricky Fetske responded with a three; the first of many buckets for him in the game. 

Andreas Lycoudis provided a nice offensive burst in the first quarter, leading the Dragons scoring with 8 early points (two threes) as they led 17-16 after 12 minutes. 

Forcing two successive shot clock violations on Myerscough to start the second quarter, the Dragons looked primed to insert their will on the game as they extended their lead to 21-16. 

Bradford Dragons secured a comfortable 84-59 victory over Team Newcastle in weekend one of the inaugural L Lynch trophy. 

The newly implemented trophy pits 16 teams, 14 from NBL Division One, and two invited teams from NBL Division Two (Myerscough and Charnwood) against each other. Competing in four regional groups of four, each team play’s each other once with the top two in each group heading to the quarterfinals. The Dragons are joined in Group D by Division Two champions Team Newcastle, Derby Trailblazers, and hosts Myerscough. 

In their first game of competitive action since March 8th, 2020, the Dragons controlled proceedings from start to finish in the Myerscough bubble. Facing off against newly promoted Team Newcastle, Dragons showed no signs of rust in a game they never allowed Newcastle to get comfortable in. 

To kick off the 2020-21 season, the Dragons starting five was Dave Walsh, Andreas Lycoudis, Jermayne Laing, Albert Margai, and recent addition Tyme Regent-Bascombe. Regent-Bascombe didn’t take long to score his first points in Dragons colours as he knocked down a two-point jumper on the first offensive possession of the game. 

Despite never being able to break into more than a six-point lead in the opening period, Dragons looked thoroughly in control throughout. Looking to push the ball with pace, Coach Mellor’s team was dictating play from the tip with Laing and Regent-Bascombe heavily involved on the offensive end. ​