Double joy for Dragons against Worthing and Leeds
Published on: 31st October 2011
DOUBLE JOY FOR DRAGONS AS THEY WIN THEIR FIRST DIVISION 1 LEAGUE GAME AGAINST WORTHING THUNDER 93 -88 AND THEN BEAT RIVALS LEEDS CARNEGIE 81 – 71 IN OVERTIME IN THE NATIONAL CUP TO BOOK A QUARTER FINAL PLACE
Bradford Dragons won their opening game of the EBL division 1 season 93 – 88 against visitors Worthing Thunder in a tense finish as the visitors closed the gap in the last quarter. Dragons played a high tempo pressure defence from the start which unsettled Worthing and enabled Dragons to surge into a 25 – 15 lead at the first break, despite losing centre Chris McGrew to injury. Dragons kept up the pressure in the second stanza with Rihard Sulcs outstanding on the offensive boards with a run of three successive rebounds during one period of play. Worthing found some offensive rhythm as they tied the period to give Dragons a 46 – 36 lead at half time. Dragons again increased the pace at the start of the third quarter to stretch to a 20 point lead at one stage but Worthing pulled it back to trail 56 – 71 at the final break. With Thunders guard Courtney Small increasing the pressure on Dragons guard Bobby Edmunds and forcing turnovers, the visitors refused to concede and battled back in to the game to narrow Dragons lead to 90 – 88 with less than 2 minutes to go. A crucial tip in by the outstanding Vance Silcott gave Dragons much needed relief in the last minute and, despite a huge 32 – 22 last quarter from the Thunders, Dragons were worthy winners 93 – 88 at the buzzer.
For Dragons, Vance Silcott led with a trademark double double of 24 points and 15 rebounds, Bobby Edmunds scored 21 and Rihard Sulcs also made a double double with 14 points and 10 rebounds as five Dragons players made double digit scores.
After the game Coach Chris Mellor said, ‘It’s good to start the campaign with a win and overall I was happy with most parts of what we did. We controlled our own boards, ran the ball well and had five guys in double figures. Losing Chris McGrew after four minutes altered the game plan somewhat but other guys stepped up. They made things interesting in the last few minutes as they have good scoring talent and maybe we ran too much instead of burning some clock but we are a young team and we will learn by playing more at this level’.
The following day Dragons hosted local rivals Leeds Carnegie in the eagerly awaited local derby game in the third round of the National Cup for a place in the quarter finals. Dragons again started well to establish a 24 – 15 lead at the end of the first period. Despite stretching to a 13 point lead, Carnegie found their offensive rhythm to battle back to lead 37 – 35 at half time. The third quarter was a tense affair with tough defence on both sides to tie the quarter and give Carnegie a slender 53 – 51 lead at the end of the third stanza. Both sides played hard in the last quarter and game was tied 63 all with just over two minutes to go. Dragons edged ahead by two with a Sulcs lay up but a Dragon’s foul sent Carnegie’s Wilkins to the charity stripe and his free throws tied the game on the buzzer at 67 all. A weary Dragons some how raised the energy to play tough defence to deny Carnegie an easy shot as first Martin and then Edmunds sank crucial triples, followed by another Sulcs steal and lay up for two. Rai Pabrieza was fouled in the dying seconds and calmly put his free shots away to give Dragons their first ever win against Carnegie by 81 – 71.
For Dragons Michal Ciesla was on fire with a game high 22 points, Rihard Sulcs scored 18 and Vance Silcott had another double double with 15 points and 14 boards.
After the game, Coach Chris Mellor said, ‘We started well first quarter and built up a nice lead but Leeds were the better team in the second quarter. Neither team really gained control after half time and as the game went on I sensed it was going to come down to the last shot or overtime. We just managed to come up with the big plays in overtime to seal the win and I’m pleased with the way we finished and kept our concentration, especially after we put a lot in the Worthing game the night before’.
Elsewhere for Dragons, Dragons 2 lost a close game at home to Hull Wasps by 81 – 85 in EBL division 4, Dragons U18 travelled to York Vikings and lost 33 - 47, Dragons U16 went down heavily away to East Manchester Rebels 43 – 99 but Dragons women continued their great start to the campaign with an away 54 – 29 win at York Vikings in the Leeds and District women’s league to keep them perfect for the season.
Dragon’s next game is the first EBL division 1 league game away at local rivals Leeds Carnegie on Sunday 6/11/11, tip off 4pm at Leeds Met University, Headingley campus, Churchwood Avenue, Leeds LS6 3QS
Dragon’s next home game is on Saturday 12th November, 6.15pm at the Trinity Green sports hall, Bradford College, Trinity Road, Bradford BD5 0JE in the EBL division 1 league against Brixton Topcats.
Admission is £5 adults, £2.50 under 16s, concessions and students and family tickets [adults + 2 children] are £10
For more details on the Bradford Dragons go to www.bradforddragons.co.uk or visit Bradford Dragons for the Community on Facebook
Bradford Eurocamp takes place between Monday 23/7/12 and Friday 27/7/12 based at Bradford College, visit www.bradfordeurocamp.co.uk for more information and contact info@bradforddragons.co.uk to pre order a free colour brochure.
