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CLUBS’ MATCH REPORTS - |
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DRAGONS LOSE PLAY OFF SEMI FINAL 71 – 86 TO LONDON UNITED BUT WIN PROMOTION TO EBL DIVISION 2
Bradford Dragons spilled an 11 point half time lead to lose 71 – 86 to London United
– Richmond College in the last game of the season to miss out on the play off final
in London. In the first quarter, Dragons dominated the game with the offence moving
well as Daumants Pabrieza drove to the basket for lay ups to take Dragons to a strong
25 – 19 lead at the first break, with only three triples from Rich Wellings keeping
the London side in the game. In a similar pattern to the National Shield final a
month earlier against the same team, Dragons kept control of the game and pulled
further ahead in the second quarter to lead 46 – 35 at half time. London United then
came back strongly into the game with the outstanding Harper draining in triples
on his way to a game high 30 points to lead 56 – 66 at the final break as the London
side restricted Dragons to win the third quarter 31 -
After the game, Coach Chris Mellor said, ‘We played pretty good first half but we were abysmal in the second half as we stopped moving the ball on offence and played way to much one on one. Defensively we contained Harper for 20 minutes but after half time he was excellent and controlled the game for London. It was a disappointing way to end the season but winning the league means much more to us as a Club than the end of season play offs’.
For Dragons, Vance Silcott lead with 15 points, Daumants Pabrieza scored 12 and Sean James made 9 points.
So near and yet so far for City of Sheffield Saints in their Men’s Division 3 semi-
The second quarter belonged to young John Stewart who scored all but two of Saints points, netting 14, and getting several rebounds despite close attention from the home players, with the visitors only down by 1 at half time.
Saints stormed out of the locker room in the third period, coach Garnet Gayle leading the way with 12 points, including two 3s and good support from Ellmer and Hackett, leaving the visitors in the driving seat 58 – 52 ahead going into the final quarter.
Eastside had the better of some refereeing decisions, and this together with shots not dropping, good free throwing from the home side, a loud and very noisy home crowd, made the last few minutes very tight and tense – unfortunately for Saints they could not quite match the Division 3 South league winners, and came away very disappointed, loosing 76 – 71.
Chris Hackett 17, Kingsley Ellmer 15, John Stewart & Garnet Gayle 14, John Imison 6, Pete Olusoga 3, Javan Hayles 2, Luke Parker, Rich Fooks, Jim Rose, Chris Law, Ash Chandley.
DRAGONS BEAT PORTSMOUTH 114 – 86 TO SET UP HOME PLAY OFF SEMI FINAL WITH LONDON UNITED
Bradford Dragons cruised past Portsmouth City Smugglers 114 – 86 in the quarter final north v south play off clash to set up a return match at home with London United – Richmond College on Saturday 27/1/10 in the semi final of the EBL Division 3 play offs.
In the first quarter, with both sides scoring freely, Dragons were first out of the blocks to set up a lead only for Portsmouth to pull back into the game with some eye catching moves from Matt Guymon to give Dragons a 28 – 23 win at the first break.
With Coach Mellor demanding more defensive intensity and the Dragons fast break finding the bucket, Dragon pulled away to a 54 – 37 lead at half time. In the third quarter with Vance Silcott dominating the boards at both ends, Dragons won the stanza by 1 to lead 79 – 61 at the final break. Urged on by the noisy home crowd who were enjoying a free flowing high scoring game, Dragons won all quarters to close out Portsmouth 114 – 86 at the buzzer.
For Dragons, Vance Silcott top scored with 18, Luke Malek scored 17 and Daumants Pabrieza hit 15 as all 12 Dragons players scored.
After the game Dragons Chairman Stuart Culliford said ‘Although our defence took
a bit of a holiday, we comfortably outscored Portsmouth throughout the game and gave
the crowd something to cheer about. We are now set up for the semi-
“The players are still hurting from losing our first ever national final and are looking forward to playing London United again. They won their quarter final play off against Sheffield Sabres comfortably so there is a terrific game in prospect from two form teams as the top of the north and south EBL division 3 for Dragons last home game of the most successful season ever. We are expecting a large home crowd and I know the players badly want to make the play off finals to win another trophy for Bradford.’
City of Sheffield Saints welcomed Oxford Brookes University to All Saints on Saturday in a quarter final play off game, where north meet south.
Saints led from the first minute, and never lost that lead with an excellent all round team performance. Saints spread the scoring, with six different players getting on the score sheet in the first 10 minutes, giving the home team a 4 point advantage at the break.
The second period continued in a similar vein, with a five other players adding to the scoring, giving Saints a 41 – 29 lead at the half time break.
The third period was a much closer affair, with the visitors matching Saints on 17 points, but still 12 points adrift.
The final 10 minutes belonged to Pete Olusoga – he dropped 4 threes and 4 two pointers in a 6 minute blast, with great encouragement from the players on the bench, cheering him on.
The final score of 92 – 71 gives Saints an away semi final against London Eastside next weekend.
Pete Olusoga 27, John Stewart & John Imison 10, Kingsley Ellmer 9, Ash Chandley 8, Luke Parker 7, Chris Hackett 6, Rich Fooks, Javan Hayles & Chris Law 4, Jim Rose 3, Garnet Gayle.
EBL NATIONAL LEAGUE MEN’S DIVISION THREE SOUTH
UWIC ARCHERS 109 WELLINGBOROUGH PHOENIX 111
Phoenix Men’s squad pulled of a remarkable comeback from 20 points down to seal a win with a Mark Gledhill put back in the final seconds to give the visitors their seventh win of the season in Wales on Saturday.
Wellingborough started like the game like they were still on the bus as they limped
to a 27-
Phoenix continued to chip away at the UWIC lead at the start of the second quarter
with Danny Barrett knocking in 8 quick points aided by Gledhill putting in 5 as Wellingborough
closed the gap to four points, but a late surge from the home side left Phoenix still
behind 58-
The third period opened with both sides trading baskets until Devon Adams took control
of the game as he led Phoenix into the lead with a 3 pointer to seal a 13-
Wellingborough started the final period in fine form and looked to have done enough
the win after the opened a double digit lead at 92-
Adams top scored for Wellingborough with 21 points, Gledhill added 20 and Barrett 19 in a fine all round team display in the end.
Coach Danny Alexis was in buoyant mood afterwards “we responded extremely well to going behind and finally seemed to show that we can prevail in tight situations at the end of close games.”
City of Sheffield Saints travelled to Derby Trailblazers on Sunday for their last
league fixture of the 2009-
Derby managed 16 – to Saints 13 in the second quarter, the visitors up by 10 at the half. Saints continued to score freely, making runs of 6, 8 and 12, and the home team only making an 11 – 3 run in the final 3 minutes. Saints scored 7 threes ( 4 for Ellmer and 3 for Hackett) and coach Garnet Gayle was able to give all his bench plenty of court time.
Saints came away with a comfortable 76 – 63 win. Gayle’s playing time in the second half was curtailed with a cut above his eye.
Saints have home advantage in the play offs next weekend, with a probable game v Oxford Brooks on Saturday 20th at 4.00 @ All Saints.
Kingsley Ellmer 23, Chris Hackett 22 (10 rebounds), Rich Fooks 14, John Stewart 9 (11 rebounds),Luke Parker & Chris Law 3, Garnet Gayle 2, Pete Olusoga, Jim Rose, Javan Hayles
DOUBLE JOY FOR DRAGONS AS THEY BEAT BRADFORD MAROONS 83 -
Bradford Dragons finished off the regular EBL division 3 north season in style with
a 83 – 72 local derby win at home against neighbours Bradford Maroons, then travelled
to play basement side Tyne Met Trojans to win 102 -
Before the start of the game, Dragons received the EBL division 3 north winners cup in front of a packed and noisy Trinity Green crowd.
The largest home crowd of the season saw a bright start by Dragons give way to a Maroons charge with Rihards Sulcs on fire with 12 first quarter points to leave Dragons trailing 22 – 25 at the first break. Maroons continued to pressure the game with some big triples from beyond the arc to edge the second quarter to leave Dragons training 39 – 43 at half time.
With guest DJ and legendary basketball announcer Mike Shaft whipping the crowd up,
Dragons fought back into the game with Tom Martin making some tough lay ups to take
the third stanza 25 – 16 to lead 64 – 59 at the final break as Maroons began to tire.
In the last quarter, Dragons gradually eased further ahead as they controlled the
boards at both ends and finished the game in style with an alley-
For Dragons, Vance Silcott top scored with 28, Tom Martin scored 17 and Jimi Pournoori hit 13.
After the game Dragons Chairman Stuart Culliford said ‘As usual the Dragons v Maroons game was a tight game and a great advert for Bradford basketball in front of our largest ever crowd. The game was tough with no quarter asked and no quarter given. Dragons Coaches Chris Mellor and Mike Thompson have done a great job to win the northern EBL division 3 with a 21 – 1 win record bearing in mind we had 6 new players this season, plus 2 new players who joined us during the season. We look forward to playing in the EBL division 2 next season but we still have three more possible play off games to go this season’.
Men’s Div 3 South
Hackney White Heat 85 Wellingborough Phoenix 83
Yet another close defeat for Wellingborough did nothing to improve the mood of the camp as the season draws to a close.
Mark Gledhill led from the front with another top scoring display with 17 points, Harry Vesey with 15 and Danny Barrett with 13 points led the support.
Phoenix went into the final period leading 66-
DRAGONS WIN DIVISION 3 MEN [NORTH] WITH A 89 – 71 WIN AT LEEDS CARNEGIE 2
With two games still left in the regular season, Bradford Dragons have now been confirmed as winners of the EBL division 3 [north] following a convincing 89 – 71 road win at neighbours Leeds Carnegie Seconds.
Facing a strong and physical Leeds defence, Dragons shaded the first quarter to lead 16 – 13 at the break. Carnegie reduced a second quarter 13 point deficit but Dragons still lead 40 – 32 at the half.
Despite a full court Carnegie press, Dragons also took the third quarter with an emphatic dunk on the break by Boycho Branzov bringing the crowd to its feet to lead 65 – 50 at the end of the third stanza.
With Coach Mellor running the bench throughout, Dragons took all quarters to coast to a comfortable 89 – 71 win at the final buzzer.
For Dragons, Sean James top scored with 18 points, Vance Silcott and Craig Wilson each made 15 as nine Dragons players got on the score sheet.
After the game Dragons Coach Chris Mellor said, ‘I thought we came out a bit flat in the first half and conceded way to many easy scores. We were much better at both ends in the second half’.
City of Sheffield Saints emerged battered and bruised fro a close encounter with their cross town rivals Sheffield Sabres.
The game was very low scoring in the first period, with neither team playing well, with the home side coming out leading 13 – 8.
Saints coach Gayle injected some pace and scoring in the second 10 minutes, netting two 3 pointers, a lay up and one from two free throws, helping Saints to reduce the deficit to 4 points at the half.
The third quarter was Saints – Sabres committed offensive, technical and unsportsmanlike
fouls, and with the visitors outscoring their hosts by 12, the score going into the
last 10 minutes was 49 -
The last 10 minutes was a tight, tense period, with Saints netting three 3 pointers and 5 lay ups, and Sabres failing to make their superior rebounding pay, missing several apparently easy shots and 4 free throws, Saints came away with a 69 – 59 win.
Saints have one game left to play at Derby on 14th, Sabres have another home game tomorrow v Sefton and are away on 13th v Stockport – if Sabres lose either of these games and Saints win on 14th, then Saints would finish in second place, if not they will be away to the second placed team in the South on 20th/22nd.
John Imison 18, Chris Hackett 14, Garnet Gayle 13, Kingsley Ellmer 11, Pete Olusoga & Javan Hayles, 5, Chris Law 3, Luke Parker, Rich Fooks, Ash Chandley
Phoenix turns the corner with impressive display
EBL National League Men’s Division Three
Wellingborough Phoenix 91 Glamorgan Gladiators 79
There was a sense of relief that flooded through Weavers Leisure Centre as Phoenix finally put in a full 40 minute performance to seal their seventh win of the season as they beat Glamorgan by 12 points on Saturday.
Both sides started slowly with neither team managing to get on the score-
Phoenix had a much stronger start to the second quarter offensively as Benji Henry
and Harry Veasey led the way, but the visitors still kept their noses on front with
three straight 3-
Wellingborough entered the third quarter, all too aware that this stage of the game
is where so many games this season have slipped away, with renewed energy as they
opened with a 9-
It made a nice change for Wellingborough and the large support present that Phoenix managed to keep a double digit lead almost entirely throughout the final period, as they overcame the tendency to let slip winning positions late in games with a confident performance down the stretch.
Gledhill top scored in an impressive captains performance with 22 points and 13 rebounds, Fletcher with 14 and Barrett12 led the support in a fine all round display, Ioan Nickson with 25 points and Williams with 22 led the resistance from the visitors.
Coach Danny Alexis was positive after the game “we put together a good game today, we’ve still got areas we can improve in, but we were pretty good offensively today after a slow start.”
Phoenix were due to play Guildford on Sunday, but the visitors called the game off
late Saturday night, giving Wellingborough a 20-
DRAGONS BEAT DERBY TRAILBALAZERS 2 BY 90 – 72 TO STAY TOP AND ON COURSE FOR PROMOTION
Bradford Dragons cruised to a comfortable home win 90 – 72 to stay top of EBL division 3 [north] and remain on course for promotion. Putting aside the disappointment of last weeks defeat in the National Shield final in Manchester, Dragons started slowly but edged to a first quarter lead of 18 – 16 against a youthful Derby Trailblazers 2 outfit. Urged on by a noisy home crowd, Dragons increased the defensive pressure on the visitors and cut loose in offence with Sean James on his way to a game high haul of 35 points to lead 48 – 28 at half time. Dragons took the third quarter 20 – 17 and then with Coach Mellor running the bench players in the game, Dragons eased off in the final quarter to win 90 – 72 at the final buzzer.
For Dragons, Sean James top scored with 35 points, Vance Silcott made 18 and Aaron Kaye hit 10 points.
After the game Dragons Chairman Stuart Culliford said, ‘This was a comfortable win and keeps us on course for promotion. Our next home game on 13th March is against our local rivals Bradford Maroons in the local derby game and we hope all basketball fans in the area will be here to watch the special promotion we are putting on. In five years of intense local rivalry we have never beaten Maroons on our home court so basketball fans can expect an exciting game’.
City of Sheffield Saints played their last home league game of the season against City of Nottingham Tribe and came out with an easy win 83 – 28.
The visitors struggled to score, only registering 7, 11, 4 & 6 points in consecutive quarters, seemingly unable to penetrate Saints defence and missing 36 shots.
John Stewart (Junior Shark who was MVP in the Under 18 Cup Final last weekend) scored 8 points in the first 10 minutes and with two 3pointers from Kingsley Ellmer and 4 points from Chris Hackett, Saints ended the first period up 18 – 7.
The second quarter brought Luke Parker in with 9, Ash Chandley with 7 in a 20 – 4 Saints run, gave the home team a 42 – 18 lead at the half. Coach Garnet Gayle appeared to use the second half more as a training session, changing all 5 players in both the 10 minute periods, so allowing all the squad to have plenty of court time. Saints have cemented their play off place, and now wait to see who their opposition will be.
Luke Parker 18, John Stewart 16, Rich Fooks 12, Kingsley Ellmer 11, Chris Hackett & Chris Law 8, Ash Chandley 7, Jim Rose 3, Pete Olusoga, Javan Hayles & Garnet Gayle.
DRAGONS BEAT SHEFFIELD SABRES 73 – 60 IN THE LEAGUE THEN LOSE 89 – 95 IN THE NATIONAL
SHIELD FINAL AGAINST LONDON UNITED -
Bradford Dragons beat Sheffield Sabres away in the EBL division 3 game 73 – 60 but then lost 89 – 95 in the final of the National Shield to London United – Richmond College the following day.
Against Sabres, Dragons bossed the first period to lead 20 – 12 at the first break then stretched the lead in the next quarter to hold a comfortable 41 – 27 advantage at half time.
Dragons then took their foot off the gas and went scoreless in the third quarter until the seven minute with a trey from Sean James, allowing Sabres to win the quarter 24 – 9 and hold a narrow 51 – 50 lead at the final break.
Two steals and lay ups from Daumants Pabrieza sparked a Dragons revival as they stormed back to take the final quarter by 23 – 9 points and close out the game 73 – 60.
For Dragons, Vance Silcott top scored with 25 points, Sean James made 16 and Craig Wilson hit 12 points,
Glamorgan Gladiators 103 Wellingborough Phoenix 90
Wellingborough were never quite on terms with Glamorgan on Saturday despite strong performances from Mark Gledhill and Devon Adams both with 19 points and Leome Francis with 16, as they were always just off the pace in Wales.
The defeat leaves Phoenix with pride to play for in the remaining weeks of the season
as their hopes of a play-
Coach Danny Alexis is confident the team can finish the season off in style “we have a great chance to end the season in a way that could give us some confidence going into the off season.”
City of Sheffield Saints hosted Sefton Saints on Saturday hoping to avenge a 19 point defeat in Liverpool. Saints , led by Pete Olusoga’s two 3 pointers, and one each from Luke Parker and Kingsley Ellmer, shot out to a 34 – 17 lead at the end of the first period.
5 scores from Rich Fooks in the second 10 minutes helped Saints to a 23 point lead
at the half. Despite Olusoga’s three 3s in the third, Sefton won that quarter by
1. In the final 10 minutes, Saints re-
Chris Hackett 21, Pete Olusoga & Rich Fooks 19, Chris Law 16, John Stewart & Kingsley Ellmer 8, Luke Parker, Ash Chandley & Garnet Gayle 5, Javan Hayles 4, Jim Rose 2.
Saints are away to 4th placed Loughborough University next Saturday in another must win game.
No sign of the end, as Phoenix let yet another close one slip away
Wellingborough Phoenix 75 Oxford Brookes 86
At least there was a reason this time, as Wellingborough slipped to their fifth straight
defeat, they failed to deal with Oxford in the key as the visitors outscored Phoenix
56-
Oxford took the initiative in the first quarter, as Phoenix struggled, missing 7
free throws in the first period, and were it not for a last second 3-
The second period was a different story as Wellingborough opened with a 12-
The third period is where Oxford took control of the game as they outscored the home
side 26-
The final period saw Oxford open a 13 point lead before a belated fight back from
the home side, they managed an 8-
Mark Gledhill top scored for Wellingborough with 13 points, Leome Francis and Barrett
both added 11 in support, but the Oxford trio of Kyle Stephens with 31, Jose Carlos
and Desta Rudder-
Coach Danny Alexis could not hide his disappointment at another close loss “we didn’t shoot well today and it cost us, we need to be more consistent if we are to turn this around.”
DRAGONS WIN 77 – 60 ON THE ROAD AT LOUGHBOROUGH CARDINALS TO STAY TOP
Bradford Dragons maintained their promotion push with an assured 77 – 60 road win at third place Loughborough Cardinals.
Following last Sundays National Shield semi final win against the Cardinals, the first quarter saw a slight advantage to the Cardinals as they edged the period 12 – 11 at the break.
The Dragons defence then took control to win the second stanza 25 – 9 to establish a commanding 36 – 21 lead at half time.
Although Cardinals edged the third quarter 22 – 21, Dragons took the final quarter by 3 points to run out comfortable 77 – 60 winners on the night with 9 players on the scoreboard.
For Dragons, Vance Silcott top scored with 22 points and Craig Wilson and Luke Malek each hit 12 points.
After the game Dragons Coach Chris Mellor said, ‘It was a very good team performance, we showed patience and executed very well offensively. To hold a talented team like Loughborough to 60 points was very pleasing’.
City of Sheffield Saints crossed the Pennines to play Stockport Falcons on a cold, foggy evening, with a clear intention to win.
The game was scoreless for 4 minutes with both players missing easy shots – perhaps the cold in the hall was to blame. Saints eventually found their shooting hands, with a 10 – 3 run, ending the quarter up by 8.
Stockport came back briefly in the second period with, but two 3 pointers in a 12 – 3 run gave Saints a 39 – 21 lead at the half.
Saints continued to dominate in the third, with a 14 – 2 run, with a minor comeback by the home side in the final 3 minutes, giving the visitors a 29 point lead going into the last 10 minutes.
The referees awarded Stockport 14 free throws in the final quarter, they converted 7, and scored 4 threes, making the score slightly more respectable at 90 – 67 for a Saints win.
This win leaves Saints in third place in the league having played more games than the team below them.
Kingsley Ellmer 24, Chris Hackett 19, Luke Parker 13, Rich Fooks 10, John Imison 8, Javan Hayles 6, Pete Olusoga & Chris Law 5, Garnet Gayle.
Portsmouth Smugglers 75 Wellingborough Phoenix 70
It’s becoming a mental issue for Phoenix now as they look to stop the rot of losing close games, as again Wellingborough seemed in command early on before losing their poise and control down the stretch to record their fourth straight loss (by 2, 9, 4 and now 5 points respectively), leaving them without a win this year.
Wellingborough took the initiative in this game late in the first quarter when returning
shooting guard Danny Barrett knocked in back to back 3-
The visitors overcame a strong start from Portsmouth in the second quarter and rallied
late with Veysey and Mark Gledhill inspiring a late surge to leave Phoenix 41-
The third quarter was where the game was defined as Wellingborough failed to get
any offence going, as the home side dominated the period to turn a 7 point deficit
into a 5 point 58-
Wellingborough failed to start the final period with the intensity required and allowed
the home side to extend their lead to ten points midway through the quarter before
a change to a big line up brought them back into the game with a 10-
Veysey top scored for Wellingborough with 14 points with Gledhill 12 and Leome Francis chipping in with 10 in support.
Coach Danny Alexis was looking for answers after the game “it’s a mental problem for the guys now, at times today they looked nervous with the lead, however when we fell behind we did manage to rally late on, so that is a positive, but again we didn’t have the poise at the end to win the game. We’ll keep the guys positive in training this week and try to get back on winning track on Sunday.”
DOUBLE JOY FOR DRAGONS AFTER LEAGUE WIN ON BUZZER 81 – 79 AGAINST SEFTON AND NATIONAL
SHIELD SEMI FINAL 84 -
Bradford Dragons beat Sefton Stars on the buzzer 81 – 79 to stay top of the league.
Sefton recovered from a slow start to take a 26 – 21 lead at the first break and then won the second quarter to lead 48 – 37 at half time as Dragons struggled to find their offensive rhythm.
Dragons increased the defensive effort to edge the third quarter by one to trail 55 – 65 at the final break.
A big trey by Aaron Kay led a Dragons charge as they pulled level at 67 apiece with 5 minutes to go. With Vance Silcott going the charity stripe to hit a brace of free throws, Dragons pulled ahead only for Sefton to tie the game with seconds to go.
A Silcott rebound and shot on the buzzer enabled Dragons to win the game 81-
For Dragons, Vance Silcott top scored with 16, Sean James weighed in with 15, and Craig ‘Big Bird’ Wilson and Aaron Kay both hit 13 points.
City of Sheffield Saints’ game against Manchester Magic at All Saints on Saturday was definitely one of two halves. Saints went on a 10 – 0 run in the first quarter only for the visitors to come back with 13 points of their own, and close only 2 down.
The second period was similar, Manchester had a 13 – 2 run, Saints followed with 12 – 6, ending just 2 down at the break.
The second half was a totally different story -
The final 10 minutes was a similar story, with the visitors restricted to a further 7 points and Saints netting 18, to give them an 84 – 49 win. Coach Garnet Gayle commented that all the team had played really well.
Chris Hackett 31, Kingsley Ellmer 16, Javan Hayles, Chris Law 8, Rich Fooks 6, Luke Parker & Garnet Gayle 4, John Imison 3, Pete Olusoga.
Wellingborough Phoenix 74 London Westside 78 (OT)
To say this was a case of déjà-
They again had a shot at the win in regulation, but never managed to get in front
in overtime, and as a result slid to 7th in the congested mid table in Division 3.
While a late season push for a place in the play-
Wellingborough started brightly Sunday, jumping out to an early 10-
The second period was a scrappy affair as Phoenix struggled to find any offensive
rhythm scoring just three points in the first eight minutes as the visitors opened
a 12 point lead before a late flurry from the hosts closed the gap to 33-
After half time the quality of the game all round improved as Phoenix opened with
a 9-
Westside again showed great determination to get back in the game opening the final
period with a 10-
Phoenix were slow out of the traps in overtime and paid the penalty as the Londoners
got their noses in front, and never let the lead go, and it was the home side who
struggled from the free throw line missing five in overtime before eventually going
down 78-
Gledhill and Adams both scored 14 points from Wellingborough, Daniel Turiccki added 13 points as well as 15 rebounds and Gary Burton added 12 points in support, but not for the first time Phoenix came up just short.
Coach Danny Alexis was left scratching his head afterwards “we keep getting into these positions, but cannot find a way to get over the line, it is becoming a mental problem now, one we need to find an aswer to before the run in if we are to meet our objectives.”
DRAGONS BACK ON TRACK WITH 84 – 45 ROAD WIN AT STOCKPORT FALCONS
Bradford Dragons bounced back from last weeks home loss to Sheffield Saints with an emphatic away win at Stockport Falcons by 84 – 45 to stay top of the EBL division 3 north.
Dragons went back to basics on defence and restricted the home side to 8 points to lead 15 – 8 at the first break. With Craig ‘Big Bird’ Wilson in dominant form at both ends of the court, the Dragons defence pinned down Stockport to 8 points in the second stanza as Dragons pulled away to a 36 – 16 lead at half time.
The Dragons defensive effort remained focused in the third quarter to again lock down Stockport to 7 points to give Dragons a 58 – 23 lead at the penultimate break. In the final quarter, Dragons eased off the defensive gas and allowed Stockport their biggest quarter score of the game but Dragons still won the quarter 26 – 22 to give Dragons an emphatic win 84 – 45 at the final buzzer.
For Dragons, Daumants Pabrieza top scored with 22, Craig Wilson had a season high haul of 19 and the ever dependable Vance Silcott scored 17.
After the game Dragons Coach Chris Mellor said, ‘We needed a good performance tonight to get us back on track and the team delivered it. We got a good kick up the backside last week losing to Saints and I told the team all week that defence got us here and defence will keep us here’.
City of Sheffield Saints continued their winning ways with an 88 – 63 victory over Tyne Met Trojans at All Saints on Saturday.
John ‘Sick note’ Imison who has only played 7 minutes in previous games, due to injuries sustained in games and training, and work commitments, certainly made up for lost time, top scoring with 16 points, and generally adding strength to Saints in attack and defence.
The game was end to end for most of the 40 minutes, with Saints up by 7 at the end of the first quarter. The second period saw the home team stretch their lead to 10 and the fifth 3 pointer of the half – 2 each from Ellmer and Olusoga and 1 each from Chandley and Hackett.
After the break, the referees seemed to find their whistles, with 29 free throws
being awarded. Imison scored 12 in the third, helping Saints to a 26 point lead going
into the final 10 minutes which Trojans won 20 -
The second half was watched by 3 of the BBL Sharks, watching their team mate Ash Chandley, and Ryan Patton renewing his acquaintance with the ex Arrows players in Saints team.
John Imison 16, Kingsley Ellmer & Chris Hackett13, Pete Olusoga & Ash Chandley 10, Luke Parker & Rich Fooks 8, Javan Hayles 5, Garnet Gayle 3, Jim Rose 2, Chris Law.
DRAGONS LOSE UNBEATEN RUN 85 – 88 AT HOME TO SHEFFIELD SAINTS BUT STAY TOP OF THE LEAGUE
Bradford Dragons ended their unbeaten league run of 11 successive league wins to fall 85 – 88 losers to visitors Sheffield Saints.
In the first quarter, with Vance Silcott in dominant mood, Dragons pulled ahead to a 25 – 20 lead at the first break. In the second stanza, Saints passing movement was outstanding as Saints pulled back into the game to lead 40 – 48 at the half as Dragons defence struggled to contain Saints.
In the third quarter, Saints extended their lead to 12 points, but quick buckets from James and Malek cut Saints lead, only for Gayle to pull Saints ahead again as Dragons trailed 67 – 70 at the final break. In the final stanza, with James fouling out in the second minute and veteran Gayle hitting crucial baskets, Saints stayed ahead until a basket by Silcott tied the game at 85 all in the last minute.
A steal by Saints and a basket left Dragons forced to foul as Saints dropped a point from the charity stripe. With seconds on the clock, an attempt by Dragons to get a trey away was foiled by a back court violation as Saints held on to win.
For Dragons, Vance Silcott top scored with 25, Sean James hit 19 and Daumants Pabrieza scored 15 points
After the game Dragons Coach Chris Mellor said, ‘We missed a ton of free throws, our defence was terrible but Saints executed much better than us in the half court and were worthy winners’.
Saints topple league leaders.
City of Sheffield Saints travelled to league leaders Bradford Dragons on Saturday expecting a tough game – Bradford got off to a good start, leading 25 – 20. Saints came back with 28 points in the second quarter, getting the better of the home sides defence.
Saints extended their lead by as many as 12 points in the next 10 minutes, but Bradford cut this to only 3 points going into the final quarter.
The home side drew level with 60 seconds left, Saints got a steal and scored to come out winners by 88 – 85.
Top scorers -
City of Sheffield Saints gave Yorkshire rivals Leeds Carnegie an early Christmas
present in yesterdays Division 3 clash, missing 6 free throws and having numerous
turnovers. The referees appeared reluctant to blow their whistles at times increasing
coach Gayle’s frustration. Saints were without their 2 Junior Sharks players (coming
away with a win against Birmingham) and definitely missed John Stewart’s height against
a young, physically aggressive team, coached by ex Sheffield Shark Voysie Winters.
Saints have only won 7 games and lost 5, so will have to cut down turnovers, and
improve their free throwing, if they hope to reach the play-
Final score Saints 73 – Leeds 75.
Kingsley Ellmer 26, Garnet Gayle 19, Chris Hackett 14, Ash Chandley, Pete Olusoga & Luke Parker 3, Javan Hayles 2, Rich Fooks.
DRAGONS DIG OUT LAST GASP WIN AGAINST MANCHESTER MAGIC 2 BY 78 – 74 TO STAY UNBEATEN AND TOP OF THE LEAGUE
A below par Bradford Dragons managed to dig out a narrow win against an excellent Manchester Magic 2 team by 78 – 74 as Dragons go into the Xmas break with a perfect 11 wins from 11 league games record.
Visitors Magic 2 fielded an under 18 team that produced the best performance of the season to date from a visiting team at the Dragons lair on Saturday night. Showing absolutely no respect for the unbeaten Dragons, Magic 2 played disciplined team basketball throughout the game as Dragons struggled to establish any defensive dominance with Magic 2 players consistently pulling down offensive rebounds to end the quarter 19 – 22 behind Dragons.
As Coach Chris Mellor rolled in the subs, the home team struggled to control the low scoring game and it was Magic 2 who won the second quarter to go into half time with the game balanced at 34 apiece. In the penultimate stanza, Dragons managed to pull ahead only for Magic 2 to fight back to level the game at 56 all at the final break. In the fourth tense quarter, it was Dragons who had to fight there way back into the game with Sean James going to the bucket and Vance Silcott scoring off vital offensive boards. Dragons pulled ahead by 1 with a minute to go with a lay up by Daumants Pabrieza. Silcott then made two from the charity strip as a relieved Dragons closed out the game 78 – 74 on the buzzer.
After the game Dragons Chairman Stuart Culliford said, ‘For me this was the best team we have played at home so far this season and I was relieved to get a win. These young Magic players were well organised, disciplined and played some great team basketball to push us all the way. Whilst we have not produced great performances in the last two games, what Club Chairman wouldn’t be delighted his team has 11 wins from 11 games at the mid season break? Coach Chris Mellor, Assistant Coach Mike Thompson and the players have worked hard to get were we are today. Let’s hope we can get the zip back in our game when we play Tyne Met Trojans away on 9/1/10 and Sefton Stars the following day in the National Shield quarter final’.
For Dragons, Vance Silcott top scored with 23, Daumants Pabrieza scored 15 and Sean James made 14 points
City of Sheffield Saints suffered a hangover from last weekends win over local rivals Sabres, and crashed down to earth with a disappointing display against Derby Trailblazers II, losing 78 – 80.
The game was a close affair throughout, with 16 three pointers, the referees seemingly reluctant to call fouls, Saints finding it difficult to penetrate Derby’s zone defence, and missing player/coach Garnet Gayle’s influence.
The bright spots were John Stewart again top scoring with 22, newcomer Luke Parker with 21, and assistant coach Pete Olusoga’s return to scoring with 19.
Chris Hackett 10, Javan Hayles 4, Rich Fooks 2, Chris Law, Jim Rose, Dan Cox.
DRAGONS STAY TOP WITH LAST GASP 88 – 84 WIN AGAINST BRADFORD MAROONS IN PULSATING LOCAL DERBY GAME
Bradford Dragons just managed to hold onto to their perfect start to the season of 10 wins from 10 games as they came from behind to beat 88 – 84 at Bradford Maroons at the end of a tense, noisy and exciting local derby game.
Although Dragons pulled away to a 16 – 9 lead in the first quarter, Maroons came back strongly with Dut Malek hitting key shots to leave Dragons with a slender 24 – 22 lead at the first break. Maroons continued to upset the Dragons offensive rhythm with the intensity of their defence and Dragons only held a narrow 41 – 39 lead at half time. In the penultimate stanza, it was Maroons who began to pull away with Reuben Malek finding the basket only for Dragons to narrow the gap and, with the crowd driving both teams on, Maroons shaded the quarter to lead 63 – 61 at the final break.
In the final frantic quarter, Maroons pulled away to lead 72 – 65 with 5 minutes left on the clock but with Dut Malek fouling out, up stepped Dragons veteran power forward Sean James to make 2 steals, hit a vital trey and 5 out of 6 from the charity stripe to pull Dragons level. Despite a desperate trey from Laungani for Maroons, Vance Silcott scored off an offensive rebound and Daumants Pabrieza remained composed to hit two from the line, Dragons squeezed out a 88 – 84 win at the end of a magnificent local derby game.
After the game Dragons Coach Mellor said, ‘Current form counts for nothing when Dragons play Maroons. There was nothing between the teams for 37 minutes, we just executed better in the last 3 minutes. The atmosphere is always special and it was a great advert for basketball in West Yorkshire’.
For Dragons, Sean James and Vance Silcott top scored with 18 apiece and Daumants Pabrieza scored 14
City of Sheffield Basketball Club had a win win day on Saturday, Hatters Women beat
close rivals UWIC, Hallam-
The game must have been exciting for the neutrals in the large crowd, but nail biting
for the supporters of both teams -
The second 10 minutes was a different story as Sabres brought on their other big man Peter Scantlebury, who made 4 baskets and took 8 rebounds, giving Sabres a 15 all quarter.
After the break, Scants continued his excellent rebounding, and as Saints appeared to loose momentum, the visitors outscored Saints by 20 points to 12, leaving the home team with a narrow 4 point lead going into the final 10 minutes.
Saints regained the initiative with a 10 – 0 run at the start of the quarter, and as Scants and Richard tired, the home team continued to stretch their lead and came home comfortable winners.
Coach Garnet Gayle led by example on court, playing all 40 minutes, as did Chris Hackett.
Saints players and management would like to wish Sabres Andre Rankine a complete recovery from his recent knee injury.
Garnet Gayle 18, Kingsley Ellmer 17, Chris Hackett 16, Chris Law 13, John Stewart 7, Pete Olusoga & Javan Hayles 6, Luke Parker 3, Jim Rose.
DRAGONS STAY TOP WITH 116 – 82 WIN OVER LEEDS CARNEGIE 2
Bradford Dragons maintained their perfect start to the season by beating neighbours Leeds Carnegie 2 116 – 82 to go clear at the top of the EBL division 3 [north] as second place Sheffield Sabres losing.
In a breathless first quarter with Daumants Pabrieza on fire from behind the arc, Dragons stormed into a 32 – 18 lead at the break.
Dragons exerted their trademark tough defence in the second stanza to restrict Carnegie to 16 points whilst knocking down 27 points from all over the court as Dragons went into the locker room at half time leading 59 – 34.
In third quarter, despite strong performances from Carnegie’s Hylands and Gent, Dragons edged the period by 4 to go into the final break leading 83 – 54.
Both sides maintained the frenetic pace in the final quarter as a Xmas bonanza of points rained down from both sides but with James Steer hitting two big treys at the close, it was Dragons who again took all quarters to win 116 – 82 on the night.
For Dragons, this was their highest score of the season with seven players in double digit scores, although it was also the highest score against Dragons this season in the EBL.
After the game Dragons Coach Mellor said, ‘I’m pleased with the win and it was good to see seven guys score double figures. We shot a high percentage both inside and outside and executed well. Leeds shot the ball well and played with a lot of heart in the second half. Coach Voise Winters will be a good addition to their programme’.
For Dragons, Daumants Pabrieza scored 22, Luke Malek 18 and James Steer 16.
Phoenix turn down the Heat
Guildford Heat 69 Wellingborough Phoenix 95
Phoenix Men’s squad finally got what has been missing, a solid all round team performance that lasted the whole game as they swept away the challenge of Guildford Heat, leaving them propping up the table as Phoenix ran away to a confirmable 26 point victory.
After a tight opening with both sides struggling to gain the initiative, Benji Henry
hit a 3-
When they opened the second period with a 10-
When the Heat opened the second half with a 3-
With the game over as a contest, Wellingborough continued to dominate pushing their
lead to 30 at one point as Christian Lyne saw the limelight with 9 points in the
period as did Banji Gellatly with three 3-
Gledhill and Turiccki led the scorers for Phoenix with 14 points each, Gellatly, Lyne, Devon Adams and Jason Tucker all scored 11, with Henry and Lewis Moses 9 points each in a fine all round team performance.
Coach Danny Alexis was pleased that his team finally had a chance to throw off the shackles of tight games “this was just what we needed, as chance to remind ourselves we are a great offensive team, we have threats from so many areas and we proved that today.”
City of Sheffield Saints Men came back from a scrappy game v Nottingham Tribe with a 59 – 55 win, far too close for comfort, mainly due to Saints 21 turnovers, 30 missed 2 point shots and only scoring 4 from 19 threes.
Luckily Saints made 17 of 25 free throws, and Chris Laws held his nerve with 7 from 8 in the final quarter which helped to save the day.
John Stewart was top scorer again with 19, but only 2 other players got into double figures.
Saints will not need any motivating for their home game v local rivals Sheffield Sabres, but will have to be at their best for what will undoubtedly be a very tough game against the team which includes four ex BBL Sharks. The game is at All Saints on Saturday 5th December 6.30pm tip.
John Stewart 19, Pete Olusoga & Rich Fooks 10, Chris Law & Garnet Gayle 7, Kingsley Ellmer 6, Ben Cepulis, Jim Rose, Javan Hayles, Luke Parker
DRAGONS MARCH ON WITH 90 – 52 WIN AWAY AT DERBY TRAILBLAZERS 2 TO STAY TOP OF THE LEAGUE
Bradford Dragons kept their perfect 8 wins from 8 games record with a 90-
Dragons powered into a 28 – 14 lead at the end of the first quarter with James Steer and Rai Pabrieza each bagging a brace of treys. In the second stanza, with Dragons missing shots from the charity stripe and Derby hitting a big trey with seconds to go,
Derby won the second quarter to reduce Dragons to a 46 – 36 lead at half time.
The Dragons defence then locked down Derby to 11 points in the quarter with Vance Silcott dominating the boards to pull away to a commanding 70 – 47 lead at the end of the third quarter.
Dragons then choked Derby to restrict them to 5 points in the last quarter as Dragons poured on 20 points with Branzov knocking down a trey in the last seconds of the game as Dragons ran out worthy 90 – 52 winners.
For Dragons, Boycho Branzova scored his first double of the season with a game high 23 points and 10 rebounds, Daumants Pabrieza hit 17 and Vance Silcott scored a triple double with 16 points, and game highs of 20 rebounds and 11 steals.
After the game Dragons Chairperson Stuart Culliford said, ‘This was another good win and a tribute to the hard work Coach Chris Mellor has put in to give us the best defensive record in the league. Despite resting top scorer Sean James, Vance Silcott came up with the goods at both ends to day and Boycho Branzova is starting to come good and show us what a quality player he is’.
DRAGONS BLUNT SABRES 92 – 60 TO GO TOP AND REMAIN UNBEATEN IN THE LEAGUE
Bradford Dragons went in to this crucial game on Saturday with a perfect start of 6 wins from 6 games against top of the league visitors Sheffield Sabres and decisively defeated the visitors by 92 to 60 points.
A packed Trinity Green sports hall with Dragons biggest home crowd of the season saw Sabres take the court full of confidence on the back of their superior perfect start of 7 wins from 7 games.
Both teams started slowly but Dragons gradually pulled ahead in the quarter with Luke Malek and James Steer hitting from range. The debut of Dragons latest signing, 6’8” Bulgarian Boycho Branzov helped Dragons to a 24 – 14 lead at the first break.
The second quarter saw both defences battling to dominate the game and the highlight of this period was Sabres veteran Peter Scantlebury celebrating his 46th birthday with a two handed dunk to keep Sabres in the game as Dragons shaded the period to lead 40 – 29 at half time.
In the penultimate stanza, the Dragons offence ran riot as more treys from outside combined with inside moves from Sean James racked up a 25 – 14 run to take Dragons to a commanding 65 – 43 lead at the break.
In the final quarter, with Sabres captain Richard Windle fouling out and Vance Silcott continuing to dominate the boards at both ends for Dragons, Dragons pressed a tiring Sabres full court with Coach Chris Mellor rolling the substitutions into the game as all Dragons players got on the score sheet. Despite Scantlebury scoring a game high 26 points for Sabres, Dragons again dominated the quarter 27 – 17 to finish 92 – 60 at the final buzzer.
After the game, Dragons chairperson, Stuart Culliford, said,’ This was an important game for us to win to go back on top of the league with a game in hand. The team looked powerful tonight in all departments with inside and outside threats from every Dragons player on the back of a tough team defence. The players kept to Coach Mellor’s game plan and restricted Windle to 11 points. Although Sabres lost starter Andre Rankin after an early injury, we dominated the game throughout although we struggled at times to stop Scants’ birthday performance on court tonight’
For Dragons, Sean James top scored with 22, Luke Malek hit 17 as fellow shooting guard James Steer hit 15.
City of Sheffield Saints bounced back from their last week’s defeat, with a very close, hard fought game against Loughborough Student Cardinals, the team who were sitting just above them in the league.
The three Junior Sharks players had raced up the M1 after their win against Leicester, to play their in this Men’s Division 3 fixture.
The first quarter started well for Saints with 6 Saints players getting on the score sheet, leading 21 – 16, luckily the opposition had missed 5 free throws.
The visitors had a 13-
Loughborough won the third by 6 points, despite Ellmer’s two 3 pointers (he made
6 in total) and the final 10 minutes was nail biting with the lead changing hands
on several occasions, the visitors leading by 3 with 6.3 seconds remaining, Chris
Hackett was fouled when scoring, missed the free throw, Kingsley got the rebound
and scored, the visitors called a time-
16 year old John Stewart had scored 29 points in Leicester for the Junior Sharks Under 18s, and made 27 in his 27 minutes court time for the Saints Men plus the 5 rebounds and 1 blocked shot which completed a tremendous afternoon’s work.
John Stewart 27, Kingsley Ellmer 24, Chris Hackett 13, Garnet Gayle 9, Pete Olusoga, Ben Cepulis, Rich Fooks, Chris Law & Javan Hayles 2, Jim Rose.
DRAGONS REMAIN UNBEATEN IN THE LEAGUE WITH A 74 -
Bradford Dragons maintained their 100% record in the EBL division 3 with an emphatic 74 – 37 away win at City of Nottingham Tribe.
Dragons started slowly with both teams playing well to lead 17 – 14 at the end of the first quarter. The Dragons defence then locked down Nottingham, forcing turnovers and denying the Tribe a score for 8 minutes to take the second stanza 27 – 5 to lead 44 – 19 at half time.
Dragons kept their defensive intensity to take the third quarter 17 – 6 and lead 61 – 23 at the final break. With the game under control, Dragons eased their defensive stranglehold as Nottingham exceeded their score in the previous two quarters to win the final quarter by 1 as Dragons took the game 74 – 37 on the night and went second in Division 3 [north] with a game in hand behind an unbeaten Sheffield Sabres.
After the game, Coach Chris Mellor said, ‘We played OK but there are still several areas of our game we need to improve if we are to compete this season. I was pleased with the overall performance of the team’.
For Dragons Daumants Pabrieza top scored with 16, Luke Malek returned from last weeks shooting vacation to hit 14 and the Latvian brother Raimond Pabrieza maintained his good form to drop 11 points.
A short handed, short in height, City of Sheffield Saints had an away day to forget in Liverpool, against Sefton Stars, a well drilled, athletic team whose height advantage gave them an edge in rebounding.
Saints flattered to deceive in the first 5 minutes scoring 10 points – the game went downhill from then on for the visitors, as Sefton ended the first quarter up by 16 to 12, a lead they never relinquished.
Saints did rally briefly with three 3 pointers in the second period, and were only down by 6 at the interval.
Sefton quickly squashed any hope for Saints as they scored three quick baskets, and were never less than 10 points up from then onwards. 12 missed free throws and Rich Fook’s back problem did not help the visitors cause, and this was no way to celebrate coach 45th birthday on Wednesday – hopefully the team will be back to their best for the home game against Loughborough University on Saturday.
Garnet Gayle 13, Ashley Chandley 11, Kingsley Ellmer 9, Javan Hayles 7, Rich Fooks & Chris Law 6, Dan Cox 4, Pete Olusoga 2.
DRAGONS REMAIN UNBEATEN IN THE LEAGUE WITH 82 – 62 WIN OVER LOUGHBOROUGH STUDENT CARDINALS
Bradford Dragons maintained their 100% record in the EBL division 3 with an emphatic 82 – 62 home win over Loughborough Student Cardinals.
Dragons started slowly as the Cardinals defence pressed the Dragons guards and with
Dragons outside shooting on vacation, it took a late bucket from Sean James to bring
the score to 16-
Dragons stepped up the defensive pressure in the second quarter with Silcott dominating the defensive rebounds and the Cardinals were held to 10 points. Despite nearly every shot from range hitting fresh air, Dragons inside game was working as Dragons led 35 – 27 at the half.
In the third stanza, with Raimond Pabrieza in fine form with a couple of treys and a great effort in defence and brother Daumants making a tough lay up on the buzzer, Dragons eased ahead to lead 62 – 49 at the final break.
Dragons maintained their focus and stranglehold on the game in the final quarter to end 82 – 62 at the final buzzer.
After the game, Coach Chris Mellor said, ‘I was very pleased with our performance tonight. We take great pride in our defence and to restrict them to 62 points was a great effort as I don’t see Loughborough losing too many games in this division’.
For Dragons Sean James top scored with 27, Daumants Pabrieza hit 20 and brother Raimond Pabrieza 10 points
City of Sheffield Saints faced the Falcons from Stockport in a tight game at All Saints on Saturday, with the home team in the lead throughout most of the match. The first quarter was close – the visitors led by 6 – 0, until John Stewart, fresh from a Junior Sharks game, started Saints scoring in the 4th minute with an and 1, Saints had a 7 – 1 run in the closing 90 seconds, and led by 1 point at the end of the first period.
The second quarter was all Saints with 5 from 6 free throws, and 2 three pointers, the half time score was 33 – 24.
The break gave the Falcons a second wind, as they played with more aggression, and they cut Saints lead to only 1 point at the end of the third. The final quarter remained tight until Chris Hackett found his offensive game, scored 4 from 4 free throws and 3 lay ups, and with three more 3 pointers , 1 each from Gary Bywater, Chris Law and Kingsley Ellmer, his 4th of the afternoon, gave Saints a comfortable looking win by 75 – 64.
Kingsley Ellmer 18, Gary Bywater 15, Chris Hackett 12, Garnet Gayle 10, Rich Fooks 8, John Stewart 7, Chris Law 3, Ben Cepulis 2, Javan Hayles, Jim Rose, Dan Cox
Francis the key
Men’s EBL National League Div 3 South
Wellingborough Phoenix 95 Portsmouth City Smugglers 90
For the first time in almost a month Phoenix were on the right side of a close game,
as they led almost all the way against Division 3 rivals Portsmouth at Weavers Leisure
Centre on Sunday eventually running out 95-
Phoenix jumped into a 10-
The second quarter opened quietly as far as offence was concerned, with neither team
finding any rhythm but a 9-
Portsmouth started the second half in inspired fashion, going on a 7 point run to
seize the lead with Phoenix slipping up with 2 more key turnovers allowing the visitors
back into the game, but a Turiccki field goal and a 3-
The final quarter was an offensive blast as first Wellingborough stretched their
lead to 14 points before both sides traded baskets with the home side always holding
the edge, and following the previous weeks last minute and last second drama’s it
was refreshing to see the home side hold on, the last minute was a tale of free throws
as Portsmouth desperately tried to close the gap, but Phoenix held on to win 95-
Francis top scored with 18 points, Burton added 16, Turiccki 15 points as well as 12 rebounds, with Tucker and Gledhill both adding 13 points in a fina all round tea, performabnce. Ryan Payne led the way for the visitors with 25 points.
Coach Danny Alexis was pleased his side had managed to hold their nerve after another close encounter “we did the job today, hopefully we have learnt the lessons of the previous weeks and we can build on this going forward.”
W/e 1st November 2009
Halloween started early for Sheffield Saints – a player was stopped by the police on his way to meet his team mates, then the Snake Pass was closed, so the convoy had to detour to Woodhead and the delays continued with traffic queues on the Manchester motorways; thanks to mobile phones, the 5 team members who were at the Amaechi Centre were able to keep the home officials informed of the reasons for the late arrival of the other 7 team members, including coach Garnet Gayle.
The tip off was delayed by 15 minutes, but the game had to start with the 3 Under
18 Junior Sharks -
The quarter ended with Manchester leading by 2 which they extended to 7 at the half
as Saints struggled against the height of the Mancunians – their tallest player was
6’ 9”. Saints were still behind at the end of the third quarter, but two 3 pointers
and converted free throws brought the visitors back into the game and a 1 point lead
in the final minute -
Finally Saints afternoon of horrors was over as they outscored the home team by 23 points to 10, giving them a 92 – 79 win.
Kingsley Ellmer 24, John Stewart 21, Ash Chandley 13, Chris Hackett 11, Ben Cepulis 8, Jim Rose 6, Pete Olusoga 4, Chris Law 3, Garnet Gayle 2, Gary Bywater, Rich Fooks, Javan Hayles.
DRAGONS BEAT FALCONS 83 – 58 TO STAY JOINT TOP OF THE LEAGUE
Bradford Dragons comfortably won the EBL division 3 game against visitors Stockport Falcons by 83 to 58 at Trinity Green on Saturday.
Playing tough defence from the tip off, and moving the ball rapidly in offence, Dragons cruised to a 24 – 10 lead at the end of the first quarter with Sean James going coast to coast for a 2 and Luke Malek completing a fast break with an emphatic dunk.
Coach Chris Mellor used the Dragons control of the game to rotate players off the bench and pressed the Falcons to pull further way to lead 52 to 35 at half time.
Dragons struggled to recover their offensive fluidity in a slow third stanza which Dragons edged by 1 to lead 64 – 46 at the end of the quarter.
Dragons came out firing for the last period of play and pushed the score further along to win 83 – 58 at the close with 9 players getting on the score sheet.
Team Manager Mike Thompson said after the game,’ We were pleased that the defence gave us a platform for the game. Luke Malek stepped up with 4 treys in the second quarter. We have a big game in two weeks time against Loughborough that we will need to be prepared for’
For Dragons Sean James top scored with 19 and Luke Malek and Daumants Pabrieza both hit 14 points
City of Sheffield Saints made the long journey to Sunderland on a wet and windy Saturday and blew away the opposition Tyne Met Trojans in their brand new, state of the art facility, City Space, part of Sunderland University.
Saints won the first quarter 31 points to Trojans 8 and despite the home team making double figures in the remaining 3 quarters,
Saints continued to dominate the game, never letting Trojans get into their stride, more than making amends for last weekend’s game slip away.
Saints were without their Under 18 Junior Sharks, but included Ash Chandley and welcomed back Javan Hayles from his Turkish holiday, and they both played their part in giving Saints a massive 108 – 53 points win.
Chris Hackett – 21, Gary Bywater, Rich Fooks & Chris Law 16, Ash Chandley & Javan Hayles 10, Garnet Gayle 8, Pete Olusoga 7, Kingsley Ellmer 4
DRAGONS FIGHT BACK TO BEAT SHEFFIELD SAINTS 79 – 77
Bradford Dragons senior men’s team came back from 8 points down with 3 minutes left on the clock to beat Yorkshire rivals Sheffield Saints 79 – 77 for a tough road win that keeps Dragons top of the league.
Saints were in control of the first quarter to lead 25 – 20 at the break as Dragons struggled to contain the perimeter shooting of the experienced Saints offence.
In the second quarter Dragons increased their defensive intensity to win the quarter by 6 and lead 39 – 38 at half time.
Dragons again edged the third stanza by 2 to lead 60 – 57 at the final break.
A tense final quarter saw Saints come storming back to take an 8 point lead with 3 minutes to go. Dragons fought back to pull level then grabbed the win by 2 at the final buzzer.
For Dragons, Daumants Pabrieza top scored with 21, Vance Silcott hit 19 and Sean James 16
After the game Coach Chris Mellor said, ‘It was a scrappy game and both teams struggled to find any rhythm. When we were 9 points up midway through the third quarter, I thought we were in control, but Saints to their credit fought back well. It looked like Saints had control midway through the last quarter, but with Gayle fouling out and our defence forcing turnovers and making big free throws, we managed to pull it out’.
City of Sheffield Saints started their Division 3 game against a strong Bradford Dragons team with a barrage of 3 pointers in the first quarter, scoring 5 threes, leading 25 – 20 at the break.
The second quarter was Bradford’s with their height advantage a major factor, giving them a 1 point at the half. The visitors lead was as many as 7, until the last 3 minutes of the third when Saints closed to 57 – 60.
The foul count was 25 to 12 in Bradford’s favour, with coach Gayle fouling out in
the last 2 minutes when Saints were leading by 6, saw the home team lose focus and
send Bradford to the free throw line adding 9 points to Saints only basket, giving
the visitors a 77 -
Saints were hampered by young John Stewart getting into early foul trouble, and losing John Imison in the first minute with a cut chin.
Kingsley Ellmer 19, Chris Hackett 18, Garnet Gayle 12, Gary Bywater 10, Pete Olusoga & Ben Cepulis 6, John Stewart 4, Chris Law 2, Rich Fooks, John Imison, Jim Rose, Daniel Cox.
Wellingborough come up two short
EBL National League Men’s Division 3
Eastside Eagles 70 Wellingborough Phoenix 68
In the first of 2 games this weekend, COSTA Wellingborough Phoenix took their unbeaten record to London to face Eastside Eagles who were also undefeated going into the top of the table clash, so something had to give. And after a closely faught battle is was Wellingborough’s record that suffered, as Phoenix slipped to fourth in Division 3 after blowing a 16 point lead to lose by a single basket.
After a tight opening, neither side managed to gain any initiative as the first quarter
ended level at 16. In the second period in was the away side who wrestled control,
as Danny Barrett got hot from behind the arc, knocking down four 3-
Phoenix opened the second half with an 8-
Eastside started their comeback immediately in the final period putting in an 8-
Mark Gledhill top scored for Phoenix with 15 points, Barrett with 14 and Henry 9 led the support.
Coach Danny Alexis was upbeat despite the loss “we are still a young team and to come this close to one of the teams likely to be at the top come March, was a good performance and gives us optimism for the rest of the season. We lost a game we should have won; as opposed to last week when we won a game we should have lost! So we will put this one down to experience and move on.”
Burton sets up Phoenix over-
EBL National League Division 3 South
Bristol Academy Flyers 96 Wellingborough Phoenix 100 (OT)
COSTA Wellingborough Phoenix maintained their unbeaten start to the season after
coming from behind to take the points in a thrilling overtime victory in Bristol
on Saturday, eventually running out 100-
It was a difficult opening for Wellingborough as they lost guard Devon Adams to a
back injury in the opening seconds, but the team responded well as they jumped out
to a 7-
Wellingborough started the second quarter in fine form with Daniel Turiccki coming
to the fore with 8 points as the visitors opened a 9 point lead at 31-
The home side kept their noses in front during a scrappy third quarter behind 13
points from Manda, Wellingborough were boosted by the return to the line up of Adams,
but neither side could put together a run to break the game open and Bristol edged
their advantage to four points as Phoenix went into the fourth period trailing 69-
Flyers got the jump at the start of the fourth period, opening up their largest lead of the game at eight, but it was Wellingborough who proved stubborn opponents, showing their resilience as they battled back, they chipped away at the Bristol lead behind 9 straight points from Turiccki, and his 11th point of the quarter closed the gap to just three points as the game entered the final minute.
As the clock ticked down it was left to Burton to hit his key 3-
Overtime was a tense affair, as first Bristol went up by four, before Phoenix responded
again to tie it up, Flyers then went three in front before a 3-
Turiccki top scored for Wellingborough Phoenix with 24 points, Gledhill added 15
Points and Burton ended with 13 points including that crucial 3-
Coach Danny Alexis welcomed the win “it was a scrappy win, but any win on the road is welcome, and learning to win games like this is going to be a vital ingredient this year if we are going to be compete at the top this season.”
DRAGONS CRUSH DEPLETED TYNE MET TROJANS 112 – 63
Bradford Dragons easily overcame a six man Trojans team in the EBL division 3 game on Saturday to win 112 – 63.
Following last weeks road win against Manchester Magic 2 by 105 – 67, Dragons struggled to impose themselves in the first quarter as Palmer kept the Trojans in the game with big treys to close the quarter out with Dragons ahead 24 – 23.
Dragons upped the tempo in the second quarter and imposed themselves on the game and with Coach Mellor running the bench players freely, Dragons pulled away to lead 55 – 32 at half time.
There was no respite for the tiring visitors as Dragons maintained the pressure in the third stanza and with Sean James controlling the boards at both ends with a game high 27 points, Dragons continued to score freely to lead 78 – 43 at the final break.
Dragons kept up the pressure to force multiple Trojan turnovers as all Dragons players contributed to run up a record home score to win 112 – 63 at the buzzer with 8 Dragons players in double figures.
For Dragons, Sean James scored 27, Daumants Pabrieza 17 and Luke Malek 13.
After the game Coach Chris Mellor said, ‘It was a good team performance a both ends of the floor. Our task was made somewhat easier with Tyne Met showing up with only 6 players’
City of Sheffield Saints had a tough away game against an athletic Bradford Maroons side. Saints led from the tip to the final whistle.
Young Ben Cepulis had a very impressive game against his former team, especially in the third quarter, when he scored 4 quick baskets and had 2 steals. Ashley Chandley played very well on his Saints’ debut.
The 3 current and 1 ex Junior Sharks are proving to be excellent additions to Saints team, a good blend of youth and experience.
Scorers – Kingsley Ellmer 27, Ben Cepulis 16, Chris Hackett 11, Gary Bywater 9, Ash Chandley 7, Rich Fooks 6, Pete Olusoga 5, Garnet Gayle 2, Jim Rose.
Phoenix league campaign up and running
EBL National League Division 3 South
Wellingborough Phoenix 101 London United – Richmond 87
COSTA Wellingborough Phoenix got their league campaign off to the perfect start with
a 101-
Wellingborough started in strangely sluggish and nervy fashion, and had no answer
to Richmond’s Daniel Szatkowski who got the visitors off to an impressive start with
12 early points on their way to a 19-
Phoenix continued the momentum early in the period, opening with 9-
Neither side made a big move on the margin early in the third period, until midway
through the quarter when Daniel Turiccki with six quick points led Phoenix on a 14-
Both teams traded baskets throughout the final period, with not much defence being
played, Wellingborough always looked in control nursing a double digit lead, however,
consecutive 3-
Francis top scored for Wellingborough Phoenix with 18 points, but Tucker with 16 points, 12 rebounds and 7 assists proved to be the key factor in leading Wellingborough home. In addition Turiccki added 14 points and Devon Adams 12 for the home side, but it was Szatkowski for Richmond who led all scorers with 41 points, assisted by Wojciech Szabala who added 19 for the visitors.
Coach Danny Alexis was relieved afterwards “we started slowly, and looked nervous and as a result lacked a degree of defensive intensity which allowed the Richmond shooters the space and time to shoot. As the game went on though we managed to get our offensive game going, so there are some positives to draw on, as well as plenty of areas we still need to work on if we are going to be contenders in this division.”
City of Sheffield Saints 2009-
Saints were 24 – 31 down at the half, 2 at the end of the third, 2 up in the last few seconds, but a foul gave Leeds 2 free throws which were converted, taking the game into overtime which the visitors won by 4 – 9, giving them a 65 – 71 victory.
Kingsley Ellmer 13, Gary Bywater 11, Chris Hackett 10, Pete Olusoga 7, Garnet Gayle & John Stewart 6, Ben Cepulis, Rich Fooks & Chris Law 4, John Imison, Jim Rose.