Bradford Dragons Press Reports 08-09

Bradford Dragons Basketball Club call for Volunteer Basketball Coaches

Bradford's only National League Junior Basketball club – the Bradford Dragons – is urgently looking for more basketball coaches to continue to develop its young talent.

Bradford has not been an area with a long basketball tradition, but new players are quickly being drawn to the game from Bradford's diverse communities. In a recent audit, players from 45 nationalities and ethnic groups had been involved with the Club during the 2006/7 season, reflecting basketball's popularity as a world game, second only to football in the number of national associations affiliated to an international body.

Stuart Culliford, founder of the Bradford Dragons Basketball Club said: "Basketball is a great sport to help young people learn to work as a team, to work hard and to compete, and, crucially, to give them a sense of achievement. Coaches are essential in making this happen. But it is not just knowledge of the game that they bring. Coaches are often older players that have busy lives, careers and families and this gives them a chance to put something back into the sport that they enjoyed for many years and probably still love. They can pass on how they learned the game and teach these young enthusiastic basketballers the proper fundamentals and the right attitude to compete. We are also looking for younger players who want to develop their coaching skills and have a go at taking a team into EBL competition"

Coaches can get their travel expenses, out of pocket expenses, English Basketball registration fees, police checks and the cost of EB Coaching courses to at least Coach level 2 standards paid, but need to volunteer their own time in return. Dragons need enthusiastic, reliable and committed Coaches to share the coaching role across all teams.

For more information on becoming a coach, please contact Stuart Culliford on 0781 661 0600, leave a message on 01274 590409, email info@bradforddragons.co.uk or visit the Club website at www.bradforddragons.co.uk

Stuart added: "As Nelson Mandela once said, 'Sport has the power to change the world. It has the power to inspire in a way that little else does. It speaks to youth in a language they understand. Sport can create hope, where once there was despair. It is more powerful than governments in breaking down barriers. It laughs in the face of discrimination.'"

Further information:

Dragons are looking for Coaches and Assistant Coaches at all levels. In the 2008/9 season Dragons had teams competing in the EBL [England Basketball League]at senior men, U18, U16, U14 and U13 boys and U18 women levels. Dragons also ran development squads for U11 boys and girls and U14 girls.

The numbers of teams Dragons can enter the EBL in 2009/10 will crucially depend on the number of coaches available.

Dragons are keen to hear from anyone with an interest in coaching. We can offer support and mentoring to new Coaches to help them develop their coaching skills to the next level

DRAGONS WIN AWAY AT SEFTON STARS 95 – 71 IN LAST GAME OF THE SEASON

08/03/2009
Bradford Dragons finished the remaining game of a disappointing season in style with a road win by 95 – 71 against Sefton Stars. Dragons started off slowly to trail at the end of the first quarter by 13 – 23.
Dragons continue to struggle in the second quarter to trail 34 – 45 at half time. Dragons recovered slightly in the next stanza and after trailing by 15 in the third quarter and looking at a third consecutive EBL loss, Dragons pulled back to go to the final break trailing by 56 – 63. The Dragons defence locked Sefton down and the offence finally kicked fully into gear and blasted out Sefton in the final quarter by 39 – 8 to close out the game 95 – 71 at the buzzer.
For Dragons, Jake Liebman top scored with 20, PD Dohar had 19 and Daumants Pabrieza scored 18

Dragons Chairman Stuart Culliford said, ‘The offence left it till late in the third quarter to get going and we swept into overdrive in the last quarter. It shows what we are capable of when we play proper defence. We are all gutted that we did not perform last weekend and as a result, we have missed out on a play off spot on points difference. We have not lived up to our potential this season and we need to have a long hard look at ourselves as the reasons why and then fix it for next season’.

Elsewhere, Dragons 2 men won at home 56 – 40 against Halifax in the Leeds league division 1 game, Dragon’s U18 girls crashed 23 – 102 at home to Nottingham Wildcats, Dragons U16 lost away 43 - 62 to East Riding Harriers, and Dragon’s U18’s travelled to lose 37 – 61 to Preston Pride A U18 junior men.

For further details contact Stuart Culliford on 0781 661 0600 or email info@bradforddragons.co.uk or visit the Dragons website at www.bradforddragons.co.uk

DRAGONS PLAY OFF HOPES SMASHED BY 65 – 68 LOSS TO MANSFIELD GIANTS AND 61 – 68 LOSS TO MAGIC 2

01/03/2009
Bradford Dragons lost a thriller home game against fellow promotion rivals Mansfield Giants by 65 to 68. In front of the biggest home crowd of the season, Dragons blasted into a 7 – 0 run from the start only to find the Giants team battling back into the game to reduce Dragons’ lead to 21 – 16 at the first break. Both defences fought hard in the next quarter but it was Giants who took the quarter to reduce Dragons to a narrow 35 – 34 lead at the half. In the penultimate stanza, Giants pressure zone defence continued to restrict the Dragons offence to a miserable 11 points as Giants pulled into a 48 – 46 point lead at the final break. In the final quarter and with both teams battling for the play off spot, the lead changed hands several times but Dragons were unable to find their offensive fluency, missing key shots and giving turnovers to take it to a 68 – 65 Giants lead with 1 second on the clock. A court length pass saw an injured PD Dohar take the ball under pressure but the mid air shot did not drop and Giants ran out worthy winners in a thrilling match as Dragons’ play off hopes lay in ruins.
For Dragons, Daumants Pabrieza scored 16 and PD Dohar and Jake Liebman both made 13
The following day Dragons travelled to play Manchester Magic 2 away and worse was to follow as Dragons lost 61 - 68. Magic won the first quarter 19 – 13 and tied the second quarter to lead 37 – 31 at the half. Dragons pulled ahead in the third quarter to lead 50 – 48 at the final break but a big finish by Magic gave them the game 68 – 61 at the buzzer.

For Dragons, Valdis Karavalis made 19 and Aaron Kaye and Daumants Pabrieza both scored 11.

Elsewhere for Dragons to complete a miserable week, Dragons 2 lost 84 – 49 at Horsforth Hustlers in the Leeds league, Dragons U18 crashed away to Stockport losing 107 – 47 and Dragons U14 lost 38 – 63 away to Rotherham U14 and then 53 – 114 at home to a powerful Sheffield Sharks U14 team.

Stuart Culliford, Dragons Chairperson said,’ Giants deserved their win as our offence, so powerful against leaders Derby last week, went missing. This was a bitter disappointment and makes us realise that although there has been improvement this season, we still have a lot to do to get out of a very tough division’.

For further details contact Stuart Culliford on 0781 661 0600 or email info@bradforddragons.co.uk or visit the Dragons website at www.bradforddragons.co.uk

DRAGONS BEAT LEAGUE LEADERS DERBY TRAILBLAZERS 83 – 69 ON THE ROAD

22/02/2009
Bradford Dragons travelled to play league leaders Derby Trailblazers 2 and came away with an emphatic 83 – 69 win to keep Bradford’s play off hopes alive. Derby surged into a commanding 25 – 17 lead in the first quarter with the impressive Tom Pereira draining treys at will on his way to a game high 26 points and David Attewell recycling the offensive boards for Derby. In the second quarter, Dragons fought their way back into the game with PD Dohar making back to back treys to narrow the Derby lead to 45 – 39 at half time. Dragons returned after the break with increased defensive intensity to lock down the free scoring Derby offence. Dragons took the quarter 20 – 12 to pull ahead to a 59 – 57 advantage at the end of the third stanza. The lock down continued as Derby managed only 2 points in the first 5 minutes of the final quarter as Dragons pulled further ahead with Daumants Pabrieza showing an array of shots to top score for Dragons with 25 on the night. Derby pressed full court to the end but this time a determined Dragons team dealt with the pressure effectively to run out worthy winners by 83 to 69 on the night.

For Dragons, Daumants Pabrieza scored 25, PD Dohar 14 and Craig Wilson 14.

Dragon’s Coach Chris Mellor said, ‘It was a huge game for us but we came out of the blocks very slowly. They were killing us on the perimeter, especially Pereira, and got way too many offensive rebounds. We had a few quiet words at half time and in the second half we restricted them to 24 points. It was a great effort against a very good team and keeps our play off hopes alive’.

Dragons Chairman Stuart Culliford said, ‘This was a great team defensive performance in the second half to beat the league leaders on their own court. We are now firmly back on track for the play offs and we look forward to a double weekend with Mansfield Giants at home on Saturday and Manchester Magic 2 away on Sunday. Saturday will be the last home game of the season and I hope every basketball fan in West Yorkshire can make what will be a tough, tense and dramatic game of basketball’

Elsewhere, Dragons 2 lost their Leeds league division 1 game at home to Tadcaster by 56 – 75.

Dragon’s last home game of the season is on Saturday 28th February at 6.15pm in the Bradford College Trinity Green sports hall, Trinity Road, Bradford BD5 0JE against play off rivals Mansfield Giants in the EBL division 3 [north] game. Admission is £3 and £1.50 for concessions.

For further details contact Stuart Culliford on 0781 661 0600 or email info@bradforddragons.co.uk or visit the Dragons website at www.bradforddragons.co.uk

DRAGONS BEAT SHEFFIELD SABRES 96 – 84 TO STAY FOURTH IN EBL DIVISION 3 PLAY OFF SPOT

15/02/2009
Bradford Dragons won a tense game against play off rivals Sheffield Sabres by 96 to 84 at the new Bradford College sports hall on Saturday night. In a tight first quarter with both teams battling for the ball, it was Sabres that led 25 – 21 at the break. Dragons pulled ahead to a 7 point lead in the next stanza, only for Sabres to claw back the advantage. PD Dohar made two treys and a bonus shot from the charity stripe at the end of the quarter to cut Sabres to a 43 – 42 lead at the half. In the third quarter, Dragons began to pull away as Liebman and Pas Kornecki battled to restrict the danger man for Sabres, Jason Swaine. A two handed slam from Kravalis gave Dragons a 5 point lead and back to back treys from PD Dohar led Dragons to a 68 – 56 lead at the final break. Dragons continued to dominate in the final quarter and with Liebman making 4 consecutive free shots from the line, Windle fouling out and both sides running the bench, the final quarter was tied 28 all as Dragons ran out winners 96 – 84 on the night.
For Dragons, Daumants Pabrieza scored 22, PD Dohar 21 and both Jake Liebman and Aaron Kaye made 13 each.
Dragon’s Coach Chris Mellor said, ’It was a big win for us. I was pleased with the way we improved as the game went on. We kept our discipline and composure which we failed to do in the previous meeting with Sabres’.
Dragons Chairman Stuart Culliford said, ‘This was a great performance from the team and keeps us in the hunt for a play off spot. We have another huge game next Sunday away to league leaders Derby and then yet another tough home game against third place Mansfield Giants the following week’.
Elsewhere, Dragons U16 had a 20 – 0 walk over against Teesside after their late cancellation of the game and Dragons U18 lost at home to local rivals Huddersfield New College 40 - 88.

DRAGONS GO JOINT THIRD WITH 81 – 35 ROAD WIN AT NOTTINGHAM

08/02/2009
Bradford Dragons recovery from their post Xmas blues continued with an emphatic 81 – 35 away win at City of Nottingham Tribe. With the Dragons defence restricting the Nottingham scorers, Dragons led 12 – 5 at the break. Although the Nott’s side scored more freely in the next period, Dragons still won the quarter to go into half time with a 34 – 20 advantage in a tight defensive game. The Dragons defence locked the Tribe down again in the third stanza to take the period 17 – 6 and lead 51 – 26 at the break. The Dragons offence then poured on 30 points in the final quarter whilst restricting Nottingham to single figures again to give a comfortable 81 – 35 win at the buzzer.
For Dragons, Craig ‘Big Bird’ Wilson scored 25, Jake Liebman 16 and Ben Omet 10
Dragon’s Coach Chris Mellor said, ‘It was a good all round team performance. We focused our defence on St John and Michaelides but all round it was a great defensive effort from everyone’.

Dragons Chairman Stuart Culliford said, ‘Coach Mellor will have been pleased he dragged himself off his sick bed today for this game. This win moves us back in to joint third spot with 4 teams now on 22 points and we are all 2 points behind second place Durham who have a game in hand. Joint third place Mansfield Giants also have a game in hand. We play Sabres at home on Saturday with both teams on the same points. It is a must win game for both teams so it is going to be a cracking game of basketball with both teams fighting for a play off spot. If you like your basketball fast, furious, passionate and dramatic, you cannot afford to miss this Valentine’s Day shoot out between two teams that are going for it’.

Dragon’s next home game is on Saturday 14th February at 6.15pm in the Bradford College Trinity Green sports hall, Trinity Road, Bradford BD5 0JE against play off rivals Sheffield Sabres in the EBL division 3 [north] game. Admission is £3 and £1.50 for concessions.

Elsewhere, Dragons U16 lost away to Leeds Tigers 56 – 70, Dragons U18 women went down 18 – 87 at home to Sheffield Saints but Dragons U14 beat Leeds Carnegie 31 – 24 but then faded in the last quarter to lose 37 – 48 to Barnsley Leaders U14 in the home triangular tournament.

For further details contact Stuart Culliford on 0781 661 0600 or email info@bradforddragons.co.uk or visit the Dragons website at www.bradforddragons.co.uk

DRAGONS CRUISE TO COMFORTABLE WIN 127 – 51 AGAINST HUDDERSFIELD HEAT

01/02/2009
Bradford Dragons threw off a 3 game losing streak to beat local rivals Huddersfield Heat by 127 points to 51. With Dragons pressing full court, Dragons led 33 – 7 at the break as Heat struggled to find their offensive pattern. PD Dohar opened the second quarter with another trey and finished to quarter will an alley-oop to lead 61 – 19 at the half. Dragons remained in control of the game despite some good offensive drives to basket and outside jumpers from Heat’s Nathaniel Akins and led 99-38 at the end of the third stanza. It was business as usual in the final quarter as Dragons pulled further away to win 127 – 51 at the close.
For Dragons, PD Dohar scored 26, Daumants Pabrieza 25 and Jake Liebman 16
Dragon’s Coach Chris Mellor said, ‘We went about the game in a professional way, albeit it against a young and inexperienced Heat team’.
Dragons Chairman Stuart Culliford said, ‘Whilst this was an easy win today, a much tougher test will come next Sunday away to Nottingham which we must win to keep alive our rather slim play off chances. If we can beat Nottingham then the next home game against Sheffield Sabres is huge for us as we have to beat them to pull level with them in the EBL’.

Elsewhere for Dragons, Dragons 2 lost away 63 – 91 to Mandela in the Leeds league cup, Dragons U14 crashed away to Leeds Tigers 13 – 75 and Barnsley Leaders 36 – 64 and the U18 women lost 16 – 121 to Birmingham Force

For further details contact Stuart Culliford on 0781 661 0600 or email info@bradforddragons.co.uk or visit the Dragons website at www.bradforddragons.co.uk

DRAGONS LOSE OVERTIME THRILLER AWAY TO MAROONS 90 – 92

25/01/2009
Bradford Dragons lost the EBL division 3 men’s game to local rivals Bradford Maroons in overtime by 90 to 92. Dragons started well and matched the physical intensity of a Maroons team struggling to find an offensive rhythm as Dragons cruised comfortably to a 22 – 8 lead at the end of the first quarter. With Maroon’s Vance Silcott beginning to find his range, Maroons got back into the game but Dragons steadied to take the quarter 28 – 23 points to go into half time with a comfortable 50 – 31 lead. Maroons pressed from the start and unsettled Dragons who lost their offensive rhythm and with Silcott hitting big trey’s, Dragons lead was cut to a 61 – 56 lead at the end of the third quarter. Dragons continued to struggle against the Maroons press in the final quarter and with just over 3 minutes to go, Maroons pulled ahead 77 – 79 for the first time in the game. Dragons battled back and pulled ahead 83 – 82 with 33 seconds to go but Maroons scored a free throw to tie the game in regulation time at 83 – 83. In overtime, Dragons missed their first 3 shots on basket as Maroons pulled ahead with a big trey from Luke Malek. With 18 seconds to go, Maroons went to the line to tie the game at 90 – 90. In the last second, after a missed Maroons shot, Dragons PD Dohar was called for a foul on a block on Silcott who went to the line with no time on the clock to make 1 of 2 from the charity stripe. Maroons made a further 1 of 2 from the line from a ‘T’ on Dragons and won the game 92 to 90.

For Dragons Craig Wilson scored 23 and PD Dohar 18.

Dragons Chairman Stuart Culliford said after the game,’ This defeat has seriously damaged our play off hopes for this season. We have to pick ourselves up, get back on track and win all our games now after a three match losing run. We have to hope the other results in the league help us. All credit to Maroons for battling back into the game after they trailed by 19 points at half time. Vance Silcott with 36 points was outstanding for them and hurt us both inside and outside with his shooting. It was a pulsating game of basketball for the crowd to watch, just not the right result for us’.

Elsewhere for Dragons, the U18’s lost away to Leeds Tigers 46 – 63, the U16’s lost the chance to go second in the EBL U16 North East Conference by losing away to play off rivals Newcastle Eagles 61 – 75 and the U18 women’s home game against Hinckley & Bosworth was postponed until 5/2/09. However, Dragons U13’s had a double road win beating East Riding Harriers 42 – 31 and local rivals Leeds Carnegie 65 – 38 to the delight of the Dragons Coach Tamas Okros. Dragons 2 men also won away to Whitcliffe Cowboys 72 – 53.

Dragon’s next home game is on Saturday 31st January at 6.15pm in the Bradford College Trinity Green sports hall, Trinity Road, Bradford BD5 0JE against local West Yorkshire rivals Huddersfield Heat in the EBL division 3 [north] game. Admission is £3 and £1.50 for concessions.

For further details contact Stuart Culliford on 0781 661 0600 or email info@bradforddragons.co.uk or visit the Dragons website at www.bradforddragons.co.uk

DRAGONS LOSE 85 – 87 AT HOME TO DURHAM WILDCATS IN A THRILLER

18/01/2009
Bradford Dragons blew a 16 point lead to lose 85 to 87 to play off rivals Durham Wildcats in the crucial EBL division 3 home clash on Saturday. The game was introduced in style with a high energy dance display from Panache Cheerleaders who entertained the crowd throughout the game with a series of short and long routines during game breaks. With Craig ‘Big Bird’ Wilson and ‘PD’ Dohar scoring freely, Dragons cruised to a 24 – 15 lead at the end of the first quarter. Durham upped their defensive intensity after the break and fought their way back into the game to force Dragons turnovers and take the quarter to trail 38 – 40 at the half. Dragons steadied in the penultimate quarter to pull away to a 62 – 48 lead at the break. Durham’s full court do or die press then forced more Dragons turnovers and with Elderkin hitting back to back treys and Consolati driving to basket to score, it was Durham who took the lead and control of the game into the last minute with a 5 point lead. Dragons missed the next crucial shot and it looked all over until Dragons Aaron Kaye sunk a huge trey from way downtown to pull Dragons back to a two point deficit. With the seconds counting down, Dragons grabbed possession and Jake Liebman was fouled on a lay up. Stepping up to the charity stripe with the game at 84 - 86 and the chance to tie the game and go into overtime, Liebman missed the first but made the second so Dragons trailed 85 - 86 with less than 10 seconds to go. Dragons were forced to foul to stop the clock and Elderkin missed the first but made the second to give Durham an 85- 87 lead with 0.8 seconds to go. A full court length pass in saw Wilson narrowly miss an attempt shot and left Dragons with a heartbreak defeat.

Coach Chris Mellor said after the game,’ It is a very disappointing loss after being up 16 early in the final quarter. We gave up 39 points in the last quarter which is the most points conceded in a quarter since I have been coaching the team. We conceded way too many turnovers and Durham made all the big plays in the last 5 minutes. Fair play to Durham, they stuck with it and were the better team on the night’.
Dragons Chairman Stuart Culliford said after the game, ‘We could not cope with the Durham press which was the toughest defensive press I have seen this season. This defeat is a big blow to our play off hopes so next Sundays visit to our local rivals Bradford Maroons will be an even bigger game for us as we look to try to get back on track to salvage something from this season’
For Dragons Craig Wilson scored 24, Aaron Kaye 22 and PD Dohar 19.

Elsewhere for Dragons, the U13’s lost at home 35 – 84 to Manchester Magic, the U18 women lost on the road 29 – 105 to Tees Valley Heat and U18’s narrowly lost 45 - 49 to Tameside Arrows. However the Bradford College Dragons U16’s went to the top of the EBL North East Conference table with a convincing 55 - 45 win against play off rivals East Riding Harriers. They currently top rivals Doncaster Eagles and Newcastle Eagles who have games in hand.

Dragon’s next home game is the top of the table clash on Saturday 31st January at 6.15pm in the Bradford College Trinity Green sports hall, Trinity Road, Bradford BD5 0JE against Huddersfield Heat in the EBL division 3 [north] game. Admission is £3 and £1.50 for concessions.

For further details contact Stuart Culliford on 0781 661 0600 or email info@bradforddragons.co.uk or visit the Dragons website at www.bradforddragons.co.uk

NEW YEAR SET BACK AS DRAGONS LOSE AWAY TO SHEFFIELD SAINTS TO END FOUR GAME WINNING RUN IN THE LEAGUE

11/01/2009
Dragons pre Xmas league form deserted them as they lost a competitive physical encounter away to Sheffield Saints by 67 to 74. With key players missing, Dragons trailed 12 – 17 at the end of the first quarter. The second quarter opened in explosive style following a clash under the Dragons basket. When the game eventually restarted, the identical Kornecki twins were disqualified for Dragons from the game and a shortened Dragons team got even shorter. Saints again won the quarter going into half time 36 to 25 ahead. Dragons fought hard in the penultimate quarter to trail 45 – 57 at the final break. With PD Dohar hitting from range, Dragons pulled back to trail by 3 but tiredness let Saints steady to win 74 – 67 at the final whistle.
Dragon’s Coach Chris Mellor said after the game, ‘We started the game slowly and never really got going. Our defence was not to the usual standard and our shooting percentage was nowhere near good enough.’
For Dragons, PD Dohar led with 35 points, Aaron Kaye scored 10 and Craig Wilson scored 7.
Dragons Chairman Stuart Culliford said after the game, ‘This was a setback for our play off hopes but we are still joint second in Division 3 with 5 teams now all on four losses. Next Saturday at home is huge for both teams and we have to hope we can get back on track with a home win before the big Bradford derby game on Sunday 25/1/09 with Maroons. With the other top teams in the division playing each other over the next few weeks, it’s going to be interesting’.

Dragon’s next home game is the top of the table clash on Saturday 17th January at 6.15pm in the Bradford College Trinity Green sports hall, Trinity Road, Bradford BD5 0JE against Durham Wildcats in the EBL division 3 [north] game. Admission is £3 and £1.50 for concessions.

For further details contact Stuart Culliford on 0781 661 0600 or email info@bradforddragons.co.uk or visit the Dragons website at www.bradforddragons.co.uk

DRAGONS WIN AT HOME AGAIN TO GO SECOND IN EBL DIVISION 3

21/12/2008
Bradford Dragons beat Black Country University of Wolverhampton 83 to 62 on Saturday to go second in the EBL division 3 [north] at the Xmas break. Following the successive home wins against Manchester Magic 2 by 77 to 52 and Sefton Stars by 67 to 54, Dragons took a 26 – 15 lead at the end of the first quarter. Bottom placed Wolves fought hard and pulled back into the game taking the next period 19 – 14 to give Dragons a slender 40 – 34 lead at the half. The Dragons offence got back into gear in the third stanza to lead 63 – 49 at the break and pulled further away in the final period to win comfortably 83 to 62 at the buzzer. Coach Chris Mellor also gave a brief EBL senior men debut to Dragons U18 players Jack Cawood and Julian Sooboyah and Dragons U16 player Eghosa Osayamwen.
Coach Mellor said after the game, ‘It is never easy to play a team at the bottom of the division as it is easy to lose concentration. At half time we realised we had a game on our hands as their guards were quick and athletic and were causing us problems. We changed defence and ran out comfortable winners in the end’.
For Dragons, PD Dohar led with 22 points Jake Liebman scored 15 and Craig ‘Big Bird’ Wilson dropped 12.
Dragons Chairman Stuart Culliford said after the game, ‘Coach Mellor and the team have walked hard to get into a great position as we go into the Xmas break, but we are aware that the top of the division is very tight with 7 teams all close to the top with only 2 wins separating them. Durham Wildcats also have a game in hand so we know there is still a lot to play for. The away game to Sheffield Saints on 10th January will once again be a big game as they are chasing us hard. It was disappointing to lose last week to Mansfield Giants in the quarter final of the National Shield but doing well in the league will always be our priority. I am also pleased that Bradford College Dragons U16’s are currently second in their division and Dragons U14’s are in a credible fourth spot in their division’.

Dragon’s next home game is on Saturday 17th January at 6.15pm in the Bradford College Trinity Green sports hall, Trinity Road, Bradford BD5 0JE against fellow table toppers Durham Wildcats in the EBL division 3 [north] game. Admission is £3 and £1.50 for concessions.

For further details contact Stuart Culliford on 0781 661 0600 or email info@bradforddragons.co.uk or visit the Dragons website at www.bradforddragons.co.uk

DRAGONS BACK ON COURSE WITH 89 – 79 AWAY WIN TO MANSFIELD GIANTS

29/11/2008
Bradford Dragons senior men team bounced back from the shock home defeat to Derby Trailblazers last week to beat Mansfield Giants on the road 89 to 79. Mansfield came out firing from the start and the normally tight Dragons defence conceded 30 points to trail 25 to 30 at the end of the first stanza. Dragons pulled it back to win the next quarter 25 to 18 to lead 50 to 48 at the half. Mansfield showed the form that had beaten table toppers Derby and Sheffield Sabres to win the third quarter 20 to 14 to leave Dragons trailing 64 – 68 at the end of the third period. A big final quarter from Dragons saw them take the quarter 25 – 11 to win 89 – 79 on the night.
Coach Chris Mellor said, ‘I was happy to go in ahead at half time after giving up 48 points in a half. I told the guys if we could restrict them to around about 80 points we would have a good chance of winning. The team has shown great character against Durham in the Shield last week and today against Mansfield after the disappointing loss to Derby’.
For Dragons Jake Liebman top scored with 27, Daumants Pabrieza 23 and Aaron Kay 14
Stuart Culliford, Dragons chairperson said,’ This helps us recover some of the ground we have lost in the league and makes next week’s game against Manchester yet another key game for us. We hope all West Yorkshire basketball fans will turn out to give us their support in the three home game run up to Xmas. Next Saturday against Manchester should be another exciting game’

Dragon’s next home game is on Saturday 6th December at 6.15pm in the Bradford College Trinity Green sports hall, Trinity Road, Bradford BD5 0JE against table toppers Manchester Magic 2 in the EBL division 3 [north] game. Admission is £3 and £1.50 for concessions.

For further details contact Stuart Culliford on 0781 661 0600 or email info@bradforddragons.co.uk or visit the Dragons website at www.bradforddragons.co.uk

DRAGONS CRASH TO 61 – 81 DEFEAT AWAY TO SHEFFIELD SABRES

16/11/2008
Bradford Dragons suffered their biggest defeat of the season away to Sheffield Sabres by 61 to 81, but remain joint top of the EBL division 3 [north] in a 4 way contest with Sabres, Derby and Durham.
A tight opening quarter saw honours even at 20 all at the end of the first period. With Sheffield’s Jason Swaine knocking down treys from distance and the Dragons offence giving away too many turnovers, it was Sabres who went in the locker room with a 43 to 36 lead. The Dragons offence came off the rails in the third stanza, scoring only 7 points to Sabres 11 to trail Sabres 43 to 54 at the break. Both sides scored freely in the final quarter but Sabres again won the quarter to win 81 to 61 on the night.
For Dragons both Jake Liebman and Craig Wilson top scored with 14 each.
Elsewhere for Dragons, Dragons U13 beat local rivals York Vikings U13 43 – 42, but then lost to a strong Gateshead Tornadoes U13 33 to 37. Bradford College Dragons U16 lost away to Doncaster 42 – 85, Bradford College Dragons U18 went down 33 – 70 to local rivals Huddersfield New College, Dragons 2 men lost 47 – 84 away to Easingwold Eagles and Dragons U14 lost narrowly away to East Riding Harriers U14 by 45 – 44 and then crashed 24 – 83 against York Vikings U14 in the following game.
Stuart Culliford, Dragons chairperson said,’ This was our heaviest loss of the season and our worse defensive performance in the league this year. All in all, this has not been a great weekend for the Club’.

Dragon’s next home game is on Saturday 22nd November at 6.15pm in the Bradford College Trinity Green sports hall, Trinity Road, Bradford BD5 0JE against joint table toppers Derby Trailblazers 2 in the EBL division 3 [north] game. Admission is £3 and £1.50 for concessions.

For further details contact Stuart Culliford on 0781 661 0600 or email info@bradforddragons.co.uk or visit the Dragons website at www.bradforddragons.co.uk

DRAGONS STAY JOINT TOP OF DIVISION 3 AFTER HOME WIN AGAINST NOTTINGHAM 72 – 65
BUT LOSE 81 - 85 AWAY TO TEAM NORTHUMBRIA IN THE CUP

09/11/2008
Bradford Dragons senior men came from behind to grind out a hard fought 72 – 65 home win against a determined City of Nottingham Tribe to stay joint top of EBL division 3 north. Dragons held a slender 19 – 17 lead at the end of the first period but the defensive intensity of Nottingham made sure that it was Nottingham who went into the locker room at half time leading 37 – 34. Nottingham’s Siczek and Michaelides continued to knock down big buckets to keep Nottingham in touch, but with Dragons Latvian guard Daumants Prabrieza playing his best game of the season and 'PD' Dohar hitting a big trey on the buzzer, it was Dragons who lead 55 – 52 at the end of the third stanza. In the final quarter, with Pabrieza on fire, Dragons at last began to pull away only to find another huge trey from way downtown by Michaelides pulling Nottingham back in the game and cutting Dragons lead to 68 – 62 with a minute and a half to go. With the crowd urging them on, Dragons kept control of the game to run out 72 – 65 winners.
Top scorers for Dragons were Daumants Prabrieza 37 and Istvan ‘PD’ Dohar on 15

Dragons Chairperson Stuart Culliford said, ‘As usual, Nottingham made us fight every inch of the way and we managed to grind out a win even though the team did not play well. We now have two huge games against the top teams in the division which may well determine our season, Sheffield Sabres away next Sunday and then a top of the table home clash on Saturday 22nd November against current leaders Derby Trailblazers 2. On top of that we have yet another away game against a resurgent Durham Wildcats in the third round of the National Shield on 23rd November'
Dragons travelled the following day to play Division 2 Team Northumbria in the third round of the National Cup with a quarter final berth against holders Manchester Magic as the prize on offer. Dragons won the first quarter 23 - 21 and also won the next stanza to go in 47 - 42 up at the half. At the end of the penultimate period, Dragons stretched their lead further to 70 - 59. Dragons pulled further ahead to a 15 point lead in the final period, but with Dohar, Rai Pabrieza and Kravalis fouling out, a relieved Team Northumbria surged to take the game 85 - 81 at the buzzer.

After the game, Coach Chris Mellor said, ‘We have played our best three quarters of basketball of the season, it was a pity we could not hold on to win. I was proud of the team's effort'.
Top scorers for Dragons were Liebman 26, Rai Pabrieza 18 and 'PD' Dohar on 14

Elsewhere, Dragons 2 senior men beat Harrogate Raiders 82 – 49 in the Leeds league cup, the newly formed Dragons U18 women’s team lost 6 - 67 away to Sheffield Saints, Bradford College Dragons U16 lost 63 – 73 at home to Newcastle Eagles, Dragons U13 beat Leeds Carnegie 44 – 34 on the road then crashed 27 – 119 to Cheshire Jets U13

Dragon’s next home game is on Saturday 22nd November at 6.15pm in the Bradford College Trinity Green sports hall, Trinity Road, Bradford BD5 0JE against table topping Derby Trailblazers 2 in the EBL division 3 [north] game. Admission is £3 and £1.50 for concessions.

For further details contact Stuart Culliford on 0781 661 0600 or email info@bradforddragons.co.uk or visit the Dragons website at www.bradforddragons.co.uk

DRAGONS LAY THE AWAY GHOST WITH 110 – 51 WIN AGAINST HUDDERSFIELD HEAT

02/11/2008
For the first time in four seasons of EBL competition, Dragons won at Huddersfield Heat by a convincing 110 – 51 margin. The first quarter started slowly with Coach Chris Mellor running five for five substitutions as Dragons made repeated defensive mistakes to go in 16 – 18 down at the end of the first quarter. With Huddersfield unthreading the Dragons full court press with alarming ease, it took a burst of scoring from PD Dohar as he proved unstoppable going to the hole to take Dragons to a 44 – 34 lead before adjourning to the locker room.
In the third stanza, Dragons closed down Heat’s outside shooting to lead 74 – 45 at the break. In the final quarter, with Kravalis and Rai Pabrieza also getting into double digits, Dragons ran riot to win the quarter 39 – 6 against a tiring Heat and run out comfortable 110 – 51 winners on the night.
Coach Chris Mellor said after the game, ‘We were shocking in the first half. It took a while get focussed, but when we finally got our act together we ran out comfortable winners’
Dragons Chairperson Stuart Culliford said, ‘It was a sign of how much the fortunes of Huddersfield and ourselves have changed this season for us to record our first ever EBL away win against the Heat. Although we were poor in the first half, we came out blasting in the second half to secure a convincing win to keep us near the top of the division. Nottingham will be tough next week as usual and then we have a very challenging road game against Northumbria on the following day in the third round of the National Cup. Northumbria beat us in third round of the Cup last year in the last quarter of the game so we will see whether we have improved much from last season or not’
Dragons top scorers were: Istvan ‘PD’ Dohar 22, Jake Liebman 21, Daumants Pabrieza 15.

Elsewhere, Dragons U14 travelled to York to come away with a 49 - 15 win against York Vikings 2 but went down heavily in the following game 15 - 72 to a bigger and far superior Sheffield Junior Sharks team. Dragons U18 girls also suffered a heavy home loss 20 – 117 to Birmingham Force U18 girls.

Dragon’s next home game is on Saturday 8th November at 6.15pm in the Trinity Green sports hall, Trinity Road, Bradford BD5 0JE against City of Nottingham Tribe in the next EBL division 3 [north] game. Admission is £3 and £1.50 for concessions.
For further details contact Stuart Culliford on 0781 661 0600 or email info@bradforddragons.co.uk or visit the Dragons website at www.bradforddragons.co.uk

DRAGONS MOVE INTO NATIONAL SHIELD THIRD ROUND

26/10/2008
Bradford Dragons continued their unbeaten cup run with a 78-71 victory over Bury Blue Devils at Bradford College on Saturday night. The visitors, with a 2-2 record in Division 4 North, had overcome Division 3 North Huddersfield Heat in the previous round, whilst Dragons had earned a bye due to reaching the Semi-Finals last season.
Dragons got off to a flier in the first quarter, even early exchanges were replaced by a Dragons barrage- a 14-2 run saw Dragons go to a 21-8 lead, with Craig Wilson and Rai Pabrieza to the fore. The second quarter was much more even, Dragons initially carried on where they left off, 2 more 3-pointers saw the home team go to a 29-9 lead; including a nice alley-oop dunk with Daumants Pabrieza connecting with PD Dohar, but then Bury began to come to life, Metcalfe for the visitors, along with point guard Nichols started to rack up the points, and put together an 11-0 run towards the end of the half to go back to the locker room with the score 39-26 to Dragons. The third quarter was again even, neither team were able to string a significant run together, but Bury edging the quarter 20-23 despite some good rebounding at both ends of the court by Jake Liebman. More good work from Nichols and Metcalfe saw Bury begin to overhaul the Dragons lead at the start of the final quarter, but controlled play by Nic Gomes, coupled with some big outside shots from "PD" Dohar kept the visitors at arms length. A flurry of free throws at both ends of the court saw the game wind down with the Dragons easing to victory. They now face the winners of Durham Wildcats and Hull Wasps, two teams that the Dragons have defeated already this season.
DRAGONS SCORERS: Rai Pabrieza 22pts, Jake Liebman 13pts, PD Dohar 13pts, Craig Wilson 11pts, Nic Gomes 9 pts.
Dragons next game is away at Huddersfield Heat in Nat Lg Div 3 North Saturday 1st Nov, 7pm tip at Huddersfield Sports Centre, Southgate, Huddersfield.
Dragons next home game is against City of Nottingham Tribe again in Div 3 North; Saturday 8th Nov, 6.15 tip at Bradford College, Trinity Rd entrance.
Elsewhere Dragons Under 18s lost 42 – 59 against Leeds Tigers and Dragons U18 women lost away 31 – 48 to Hinckley & Bosworth Lady Hoops .
Dragon’s next home game is on Saturday 8th November at 6.15pm in the Trinity Green sports hall, Trinity Road, Bradford BD5 0JE against City of Nottingham Tribe I the next EBL division 3 [north] game. Admission is £3 and £1.50 for concessions.
For further details contact Stuart Culliford on 0781 661 0600 or email info@bradforddragons.co.uk or visit the Dragons website at www.bradforddragons.co.uk

DEJA VU AS DRAGONS LOSE AT HOME TO MAROONS IN LOCAL DERBY GAME

19/10/08
Bradford Dragons lost their first home game in their new lair at Bradford College's Trinity Green sports hall to local rivals Bradford Maroons by 63 to 69 to continue the 4 year pattern of both teams losing the home fixtures in the derby games. Dragons started well and quickly ran into a 10 - 2 point lead but Maroons dragged it back with the Malek brothers Luke and Dut dropping big treys to lead 16 - 13 at the end of the first period . Dragons narrowed the gap slightly in the second quarter but still trailed 26 - 28 at half time. In the third stanza, Maroons outside shooting was again instrumental in giving them a 49 - 44 lead at the end of the quarter. Steals and lay ups by Ben Omet pulled Dragons back to within 3 points at 59 - 62 with 3 minutes to go but missed shots and rebounding errors by Dragons enabled Maroons to pull out to win by 69 - 63 at the close.
Coach Chris Mellor said, ' We are not going to win many games scoring 63 points. We need to get back track against Stockport'
Dragons Chairperson Stuart Culliford said, ' We were obviously disappointed to lose our winning run in the EBL and to lose in front of our best ever home crowd of 120 at the first home game in our new venue. We did not play well, Maroons did and the best team won on the night'.
For Dragons, top scorers were Jake Liebman 18, Daumants Pabrieza 12, Istvan 'PD' Dohar and Ben Omet both on 11.
Dragons then picked themselves up the following day to play EBL Division 4 leaders Stockport Falcons in the second round of the National Cup and eventually won 76 – 63. Dragons started well but the perimeter shooting of Stockport’s Royle gave the Falcons an 18 – 13 lead at the break. Dragons continued to struggle in the second period with a big trey from PD Dohar cutting the Falcons lead to 35 – 32 at half time. In the third stanza, the Dragons man to man defence finally began to bite as the Pabrieza brothers and Omet forced Stockport turnovers to give Dragons a 49 – 45 lead at the end of the quarter. Dragons now dominated the game and despite a game high 27 from the Falcon’s Royle, Dragon’s won comfortably 76 – 63 at the close.
Coach Chris Mellor said, ' We knew it would be a tough game as they were unbeaten this season and had already disposed of a Division 2 team in the Cup. We were poor in the first half but gradually took control. It was good response to last night’s game’.
Dragons Chairperson Stuart Culliford said, 'Stockport played well and fought us every inch of the court. It was not until the second half that we could finally get hold of this game. We now look forward to a tough road trip to play division 2 Team Northumbria on Sunday 9/11/08 in the third round of the Cup.
For Dragons, top scorers were Daumants Pabrieza 22, PD Dohar 11 and Craig Wilson 8
Dragon’s next home game is on Saturday 25th October at 6.15pm at the Trinity Green sports hall, Trinity Road, Bradford BD5 0JE in the second round of the National Shield against division 4 visitors Bury Blue Devils. Admission is £3 and £1.50 for concessions.
Elsewhere, Dragons U18 won away at Tameside 40 - 39, Dragons U14 lost at home to Leeds Carnegie 30 - 32 in a thriller and then comfortably beat Thirsk Thunder 49 - 27. During the week, Dragons 2 beat Easingwold Eagles away 48 - 37.
For further details contact Stuart Culliford on 0781 661 0600 or email info@bradforddragons.co.uk or visit the Dragons website at www.bradforddragons.co.uk

DRAGONS LEAVE IT LATE TO PULL OFF ROAD WIN AT DURHAM

12/10/08
Bradford Dragons beat old rivals Durham Wildcats 73 – 62 away after a storming final quarter to stay joint top of the EBL division 3 [north]. After losing the first quarter 17 – 13 with Paul Elderkin on fire for the Wildcats, Dragons fell further behind and lost the second quarter to go in trailing 39 – 32 at the half. Coach Chris Mellor’s half time talk did not improve matters as Dragons again lost the third stanza to trail 51 – 42 at the break. However, cometh the hour cometh the man as two more members of the Dragons international brigade, Latvian Raimonds Pabrieza and Anglo-Italian Angelo Kornecki, stepped up to play tough defence and lock down a tiring Durham offence. This sparked a Dragons revival with Hungarian PD Dohar dropping three back to back treys in a game high haul of 29. Dragons blasted Wildcats away 31 to 11 in the final quarter to win 73 – 62 on the night.
Coach Mellor said after the game, ‘We were outplayed for the first three periods and we were lucky to be only down 9 at the start of the final quarter. On another night it could have been 20 down. Ang and Rai finally got us going defensively and PD fired the offence. We did not do the things we set out to do until the final quarter which we then won by 20’.
For Dragons, PD Dohar had 29, D Pabrieza 11, brother R Pabrieza scored 8 and Dragons French connection Nick Gomes also scored 8
Dragons play their next home game against local rivals Bradford Maroons in their new lair at Bradford College Sports Hall, Trinity Green campus, Trinity Road [entrance via Little Horton Lane], Bradford BD5 0JE on Saturday 18th October at 6.15pm. Entrance is £3, concessions £1.50p. Dragons Chairperson Stuart Culliford said, ‘Whilst it is pleasing to have three early league wins and a cup win, it is early doors and next Saturday will see the biggest game in the Bradford basketball diary to date, the local derby game of Bradford Dragons v Bradford Maroons on the fabulous new court in at Bradford College. It will be a fiercely fought game with both teams keen to have the Bradford bragging rights. Whoever brings it on the day will win. Whatever happens it will be a cracking local derby game of basketball and one not to miss’.
Elsewhere for Dragons, Dragons U13 lost away in the EBL U13 north division by 76 – 22 to Manchester Magic and 51 – 27 to Gateshead. Dragons 2 won 56 – 55 in overtime against local rivals Whitcliffe Cowboys in the Leeds & District league division 1 game earlier in the week.

For further details contact Stuart Culliford on 0781 661 0600 or email info@bradforddragons.co.uk or visit the Dragons website at www.bradforddragons.co.uk

DRAGONS BEAT SHEFFIELD SAINTS FOR THE FIRST TIME

05/10/08
Bradford Dragons maintained their winning start to the new EBL division 3 [north] season with a 70 – 61 home win against Sheffield Saints. Playing against a Saints team that beat Dragons twice last season, the game started slowly with the scoreboard stuck at 2 all after 5 minutes as both teams struggled with their offence and played tough defence. With Dragons guard Daumants Pabrieza subbing in to add more firepower, Dragons pulled head to a 12 – 4 lead at the end of the first quarter. With back to back treys from PD Dohar and a spectacular two handed put back dunk from Kravalis, Dragons forged ahead to 20 – 7 when Saints veteran player coach Garnet Gayle called a time out. This sparked a Saints run of 8 points but Dragons still shaded the quarter to lead 33 – 22 at half time. In the third stanza, ‘Big Bird’ Wilson caught the eye for Dragons with 2 points from the charity stripe and a back door lay up for a further 2. Dragons took the third quarter thanks to a 3 pointer on the buzzer from the half way line by Omet to lead 56 - 43. In the final quarter, both sides continued to play strong physical defence but with Saints 6’10’ man mountain Rik Marsh and then Dragons Pabrieza fouling out with 3 minutes to go, Saints won the quarter 18 – 14 but Dragons held on to win 70 – 61 at the close.
Coach Chris Mellor said after the game, ‘We are still not playing our best but we were always in control of this game. I was happy with our defence throughout the game and to hold Saints to 61 points was a great team effort’
For Dragons Dohar [15], Liebman [13] and Wilson [10] were top scorers.

Subject to the completion of emergency repairs to the court, Dragons play their next home game against local rivals Bradford Maroons in their new lair at Bradford College Sports Hall, Trinity Green campus, Trinity Road [entrance via Little Horton Lane], Bradford BD5 0JE on Saturday 18th October at 6.15pm. Entrance is £3, concessions £1.50p. Dragons Chairperson Stuart Culliford said, ‘Beating Saints was something of a milestone for us as we lost twice to them last season. Whilst it is pleasing to have two early league wins and a cup win, it is still early doors and next Saturday away to Durham Wildcats will be tough as they have recruited well in the off season and are stronger than when we beat them last year. We then return the following week for the biggest game in the Bradford basketball diary, the local derby game of Bradford Dragons v Bradford Maroons. In the last 3 seasons we have played each other, we have both always lost our home games so this will be the tough game. We will have to play at our best to be able to compete with them. Whatever happens it will be a cracking local derby game of basketball and one not to miss’.

For further details contact Stuart Culliford on 0781 661 0600 or email info@bradforddragons.co.uk or visit the Dragons website at www.bradforddragons.co.uk

BASKETBALL - BRADFORD DRAGONS START THE NEW SEASON IN STYLE WITH A DOUBLE ROAD WIN

27/09/08 - 28/09/08
Bradford Dragons kicked off the new season in EBL division 3 season with an away win against Wolverhampton 73 to 49 on Saturday, followed by a second road win on Sunday in the first round of the National Cup by 80 - 56 away to EBL division 4 new boys Hull Wasps.

Against the Black Country University of Wolverhampton team, Dragons restricted the Wolverhampton offence to 13 points as Dragons pushed ahead 20 – 13 at the end of the first quarter. The Dragons defensive grip on the game strengthened as Wolves could only score 7 points in the second quarter to leave Dragons in front 37 to 20 at half time. Dragons stretched their lead in the third stanza to lead 52 – 31 with a 2 point success by new French point guard Ben Omet on the buzzer. With Dragons Coach Chris Mellor taking the opportunity to give new players extended minutes and running the bench, Dragons defensive grip slackened in the last quarter but they still managed to win the fourth quarter to finish the game 73 to 49 ahead. Coach Mellor said after the game,’ Although we were scrappy at times, this was a competent performance and a good start to the season. We did well to hold them to under 50 points but there is plenty of room for improvement’.
Dragon’s foreign legion top scored with Latvian Daumants Pabrieza and American Jake Liebman both on 15 points and Hungarian Istvan ‘PD’ Dohar on 12 points.
On Sunday, playing in the Gemtec Arena away to Hull Wasps in the first round of the National Cup, Dragons struggled to find their rhythm but still managed to grind out an 80 – 56 away win at Hull Wasps.
Dragons were ahead 22 – 12 at the end of the first quarter and 48 – 25 at the half. Giving away to many turnovers and losing concentration, Dragons took their foot off the gas to tie the third quarter 14 all and narrowly win the final stanza 18 to 17 against a spirited Hull Wasps team to win 80 to 56 at the close.
Top scorers for Dragons were Istvan ‘PD’ Dohar on 18, Ben Omet on 17, Jake Liebman on 12 and Craig ‘Big Bird’ Wilson flew in with 10.
Dragons play their first home game of the season against Sheffield Saints in their new lair at Bradford College Sports Hall, Trinity Road [entrance via Little Horton Lane], Bradford BD5 0JE on Saturday 4th October at 6.15pm. Entrance is £3, concessions £1.50p. Dragons Chairperson Stuart Culliford said, ‘Whilst it is pleasing to have two away wins on the first weekend of the season, next Saturday will be a much tougher test for us. Saints narrowly beat us home and away last season, finishing second in the division. Although they turned down promotion to division 2 for financial reasons, they will be a very strong team and they come to Bradford on the back of convincing Cup and Shield wins and an emphatic league win against the much fancied Mansfield Giants. We will have to play at our best to be able to compete with them. Whatever, happens, it will be a cracking game of basketball and one not to miss’.

FFor further details contact Stuart Culliford on 0781 661 0600 or email info@bradforddragons.co.uk or visit the Dragons website at www.bradforddragons.co.uk

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Bradford Dragons Press Reports 2008-09

Bradford Dragons Press Reports 2009 - 10

Bradford Dragons Press Reports