Blog Archives

Dragons make it five on the bounce!

31/10/2016

Bradford Dragons extended their winning streak to five games with victories against Worthing Thunder, on Saturday evening and Lancashire Spinners, the following afternoon, in an exciting and somewhat controversial end to the weekend.

Saturday’s visitors, Worthing Thunder, are one of the biggest names in British Basketball, having played for many years in the franchised British Basketball League, prior to entering the National Basketball League in 2013.

And despite Bradford opening the scoring, after Rihards Sulcs stole the ball in his own key and drove the full length of the court to lay up for two points, it was the visitors who had the early momentum, forcing Chris Mellor to call a timeout with only five minutes played and his team sitting at the wrong end of a 10-19 score line. It was an inspired intervention by the Dragons’ coach and ninety seconds later the scores were all square (19-19) and it was the visiting coach’s turn to call for time. As the opening period drew to a close, it was Worthing that again held the advantage, albeit by a single basket margin, at 27-29.

Points-a-Plenty for high scoring Dragons!

24/10/2016

Bradford Dragons notched up their third ton in as many games when they beat Westminster Warriors, 121-93, in the Dragons’ Den on Sunday afternoon.

The two teams had been locked in a battle against relegation last season, with both narrowly missing the drop, but Westminster nudging the Dragons down into twelfth position in the table, on points difference, on the final day of the 2015/16 campaign.

The Dragons were without Frenchman, Florent Levazeux, who had taken an elbow to the nose during a full-on training session earlier in the week, causing the 6’7” forward to sit the game out.

Bradford started the game at blistering pace, rocketing into a ten-point lead (32-22) at the end of the opening quarter in which the Dragons offence had caused no end of problems for their guests.

Aviva Community Award Nominations

21/10/2016

Bradford Dragons have been nominated for an Aviva Community Award.

We need your help to get as many votes as possible to win this award and funding of up to £5000.

If successful we will use this funding towards our community coaching work, helping us to reach out and get more people in Bradford involved in the sport.

Voting closes on the 18th November. You can vote up to 10 times and even better, you can use all of your votes for Bradford Dragons.

So please get active and place your votes now and ask all your friends and family to do the same.

https://community-fund.aviva.co.uk/voting/project/view/16-3030

Tons better for Bradford Dragons

17/10/2016

Bradford Dragons faced a League and Cup double header weekend in the Dragons Den and went on a scoring frenzy to clock up over two hundred points across the two games. On Saturday the Dragons saw off a stern challenge from Lancashire Spinners, to win 102-96 and then followed that up with a convincing National Cup fourth round victory against Team Newcastle University Knights, 110-70

Saturdays game was a repeat of two weeks previous when the Spinners visited Bradford in the National Trophy. On that occasion Bradford claimed the win, with a 92-76 score-line and it seemed as though the home side were going to have it their own way again, this time around, as they streaked into a ten point lead (20-10) within the first five minutes of the game. However, a timely time-out called by the Spinners’ bench halted the Dragons’ flow as the lead was pulled back to just three points. But Bradford held firm and closed out the opening period of the game with a 28-21 advantage.

Lancashire turned the lead around in the second period and with only fifteen seconds left of the first half remaining they held a four-point advantage. However, a two-point layup by Rihards Sulcs, followed by a Lancashire turnover and a Rafi Saipe three-pointer, gave the Dragons the slightest of leads going into the break (46-45).

Unlucky Bradford lose out in season opener

10/10/2016

Bradford Dragons travelled to Derby Trailblazers for their opening fixture of the National Basketball League Division One season, but came back home empty handed, losing the game by a single point, 83-82.

Derby finished last season’s league campaign second in the table, having won nineteen of their twenty-six fixtures, in contrast to Bradford’s twelfth place finish with only six wins and in the corresponding fixture last time around the Trailblazers handed out a massive twenty-two-point spanking to the Dragons (82-60).

Dragons send Lancashire spinning

4/10/2016

Bradford Dragons recorded their first win of the 2016/17 season on Saturday evening, in their final National Trophy group fixture, sending trans-Pennine rivals, Lancashire Spinners, back home on the wrong end of a 92-76 score-line.

It was a game that in reality meant little to either team, with neither side able to qualify for the semi-final stage of the tournament, other than to determine who would finish bottom of the group and of course the usual Yorkshire Lancashire rivalry.

Lancashire are now entering their second season in the top flight of the English game, having finished in a very respectable sixth position at the first time of asking. However, like Bradford, their roster has seen considerable change for this season and as yet they have failed to meet the levels of their previous campaign.