Bradford Dragons defeated Leicester Warriors by 77 points to 69, on Sunday, to secure their place in the quarter finals of the National Trophy.Dragons travelled to Leicester knowing that victory could be the difference between finishing third in their Trophy pool or losing out on a quarter final berth, by finishing fifth. Leicester, on the other hand, had all but secured their progression, despite having lost away to Manchester Magic, the previous evening.
Bradford started the game strongly, building up a 7 point lead within the first few minutes, thanks to some strong shooting from Hungarian forward, Tamas Szlavik. However, Leicester refused to let the Dragons take a stronghold on the game and ended the first quarter only four points down, at 18-22.
The second period of the game followed a similar pattern, with Bradford opening the gap up to ten points, before being pegged back by the home side. When half time arrived, the visitors were holding on to a five point advantage, with the score board showing 39-44.
The Warriors came into the second half with fresh determination and, through a combination of precise shooting and a strong defence, they managed to momentarily overturn Bradford’s lead. However, neither team managed to push ahead and, following a series of lead changes, Bradford finished the penultimate period with a slender one point lead.
Leicester regained the advantage with the opening basket of the final period. However, the Dragons suddenly moved into a higher gear and started to dominate the play, opening up a twelve point gap – their largest of the game. With the job done, Bradford saw out the game with an eight point victory, securing third place in the pool and their place in the quarter finals.
After the game, Bradford’s head coach, Chris Mellor said, “I was happy with the way we started the game, but they (Leicester) gradually found their rhythm and caused us some problems on the boards. The decisive run came at the start of the forth (quarter) and I was pleased with the way we closed the game out. The win secures our passage through to the quarter finals, so job done!”
Top scorer for Bradford, with 18 points, was Rihards Sulcs, who added, “We started strong and were looking good from the start of the game. But Leicester knocked down some big three pointers and we couldn’t pull away until the final period, when we tucked the game away. Defensively, we are getting better but we’re not quite there yet.”
Tamas Szlavik finished the game on 15 points for the Dragons, whilst Miguel Lorenzo recorded a double-double with 15 points and 12 rebounds.
For Leicester Warriors, Derek Knutty top scored with 15 points, whilst ex-Bradford point guard, Carl Pearson finished the game on 14.
Elsewhere for the Dragons, the under 16’s visited Team Birmingham, coming away with a 64-81 victory and currently sit top of the Basketball England under 16’s North Premier table. The under 14’s also sit proudly at the top of their table, following an emphatic 109-38 victory, at home to Tees Valley Mohawks.
The second period of the game followed a similar pattern, with Bradford opening the gap up to ten points, before being pegged back by the home side. When half time arrived, the visitors were holding on to a five point advantage, with the score board showing 39-44.
The Warriors came into the second half with fresh determination and, through a combination of precise shooting and a strong defence, they managed to momentarily overturn Bradford’s lead. However, neither team managed to push ahead and, following a series of lead changes, Bradford finished the penultimate period with a slender one point lead.
Leicester regained the advantage with the opening basket of the final period. However, the Dragons suddenly moved into a higher gear and started to dominate the play, opening up a twelve point gap – their largest of the game. With the job done, Bradford saw out the game with an eight point victory, securing third place in the pool and their place in the quarter finals.
After the game, Bradford’s head coach, Chris Mellor said, “I was happy with the way we started the game, but they (Leicester) gradually found their rhythm and caused us some problems on the boards. The decisive run came at the start of the forth (quarter) and I was pleased with the way we closed the game out. The win secures our passage through to the quarter finals, so job done!”
Top scorer for Bradford, with 18 points, was Rihards Sulcs, who added, “We started strong and were looking good from the start of the game. But Leicester knocked down some big three pointers and we couldn’t pull away until the final period, when we tucked the game away. Defensively, we are getting better but we’re not quite there yet.”
Tamas Szlavik finished the game on 15 points for the Dragons, whilst Miguel Lorenzo recorded a double-double with 15 points and 12 rebounds.
For Leicester Warriors, Derek Knutty top scored with 15 points, whilst ex-Bradford point guard, Carl Pearson finished the game on 14.
Elsewhere for the Dragons, the under 16’s visited Team Birmingham, coming away with a 64-81 victory and currently sit top of the Basketball England under 16’s North Premier table. The under 14’s also sit proudly at the top of their table, following an emphatic 109-38 victory, at home to Tees Valley Mohawks.
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