
The three previous meetings had all been at the Dragons Den, two of which were in the National Trophy and National Cup competitions, so this was the first meeting on the other side of the Pennines. The scene was set for a fiercely competitive fixture, as the Spinners sought to regain some bragging rights against the Dragons.
The home side took the lead within a second of the tip off, through a Mark Rangeley three-pointer, making their intentions clear. Following a miss at the other end, from Bradford’s Jermayne Laing, the lead was quickly extended to five points, with former Dragon, Zion Tordoff, sinking two for the hosts.
Following another Dragons miss, this time by Rafi Saipe, Tordoff was partly responsible for Bradford’s first points, fouling Rihards Sulcs who was on his way to the basket and the Latvian made no mistake from the free throw line.