BCB League
Derby Trailblazers 94 (11, 28, 66)
Milton Keynes Breakers 86 (17, 40, 62)
A blistering 38-22 third quarter helped Derby Trailblazers storm past Milton Keynes Breakers to
secure a thrilling 94-86 home win in front of a noisy crowd at the Clarence Wiggins Sports Centre.
It was an incredible turnaround after the Blazers were held to just 28 points in first two quarters, but
Head Coach Kyle Henderson insists there were no stern words in the locker room at the break:
“I just told them straight that we already had eight turnovers which had given them nine easy points
and they had eight offensive rebounds which led to nine second-chance points. In addition, we
weren’t finishing easy plays which had effectively given them eighteen points and deprived us of
eight or ten at the other end.
“I also reiterated that we’re fighting for a play-off place and none of us want things to end at the
end of the regular season; we want it to continue into the play-offs, so we added a few more X’s
and O’s and improved our defence mindset and things quickly fell into place,” he said.
The difference in Derby’s standard of play between the two halves was incredible. They had shot
just 31.6% across the first two quarters, but that increased to 67.6% across the third and fourth
periods, to give them a respectable 49.3% by the end of the game. They also upped their
rebounding efforts and came close to dishing off twice as many assists.
Mo Walker and Malcolm Smith were joint top scorers with 21 points each, with Walker adding
seven rebounds, two steals and one block, while Smith had another four rebounds, three assists
and two steals. Jai Pathmarajah had 18 points, six rebounds, seven assists, two steals and one
block, but for many people, the stand-out performer was Charlie Brown.
So often a guard who rarely thinks about shooting the ball himself, Brown came close to a triple-
double, shooting 80% from the field to finish with eleven points, eight rebounds, twelve assists, two
steals and zero turnovers:
“Charlie was just incredible,” Henderson enthused.
“I’ve known him and coached him for so long and at so many different levels. A lot of teams stand
off him and give him opportunities to shoot which he rarely takes, so to see him taking shots like
that was great and he could have had even more points if he’d just shuffled back a couple of
centimetres to turn some of those twos into threes,” he said.
The opening stages of the game were painful to watch as Derby lost the tip and missed their first
seven shots before Walker managed a tip-in offensive rebound. A steal from Raheem May-
Thompson provided hope, but the Blazers couldn’t turn it into points and instead missed their next
two shots and turned the ball over, prompting a time-out at 8-2 down and 5’49” on the clock.
Derby were 17-11 down at the end of the first quarter, but eventually trimmed the gap to four points
before Blayne Freckleton sank back-to-back triples which took the score to 30-20 and had the
Blazers needing to take their second time-out of the game with 5’24” on the clock.
Once again, there was no immediate sign of improvement, with a missed basket and a turnover
leading to a basket for Dashawn Jackson before Smith completed a three-point play. After Walker
and Mike New Junior exchanged scores, the Breakers added triples from Jonas Dietrich and Ben
Baker-McCann to give them their biggest lead of the night, at 40-25.
Fortunately, Pathmarajah also found his range from deep to trim the gap to twelve points heading
into the half-time break. He added another triple to start the third quarter and after Jackson missed
a driving lay-up, May-Thompson netted from close range, cutting the gap to seven points.
The Breakers replied with a rare four-point play from Jordan Spencer, before May-Thompson
produced an impressive slam dunk. Dieterich then struck from deep against his former side to
stretch the lead to twelve points, but that was his last score on a disappointing return to The Wig.
Derby responded with a 7-0 burst which was capped off by a steal and another dunk, this time from
Pathmarajah. The next couple of minutes were closely contested before the Blazers suddenly went
on an 18-5 run to conclude the quarter.
It was sparked by a triple from Pathmarajah and capped off by six straight points from Smith, the
last two of which came in the form of an outrageous alley-oop, originated by Brown, to give the
Blazers a 66-62 lead heading into the final break.
Derby’s hopes of pulling off a crucial win were quickly dampened when baskets from Williams and
Baker-McCann tied the scores at 66-all, but after an exchange of baskets, the Blazers were off
once again. Brown converted from long range and Pathmarajah stole the ball and completed his
second fast-break dunk of the night.
The Breakers called time-out but it was to no avail as Marsden split a pair of free-throws, Connor
Washington struck from long range and Smith added one from two at the line to open up a ten-
point advantage.
Three-pointers from Xavier Wilson and Jackson helped the Breakers to quickly trim the gap back to
four points, before Smith added a three-point play. After a lay-up from Wilson, Walker and Jackson
exchanged three-pointers and Milton Keynes called a time-out trailing 86-81 with 1’17” left.
When play resumed, Brown scored with a driving lay-up before Walker stole the ball and was
fouled, making one of two at the line. Jackson then missed from long range and Walker added a
lay-up to make it 91-81.
After a further time-out by the Breakers, Freckleton struck from outside the arc prompting a Derby
time-out. Washington then converted a pair of free-throws, with Pathmarajah adding a third to
secure the win, despite a late consolation basket from Spencer.
Reflecting on the result, Coach Henderson said it felt like his team had finally turned a corner:
“The cohesiveness of this team is tremendous. We’ve come across a lot of obstacles this season,
but we keep finding ways to compete. Many of our losses have come in close games, but I feel
over the last couple of weeks, we’ve found ways to seal wins against quality opposition, so it’s
really pleasing to see the players’ hard work is finally being rewarded.
Derby: Smith 21, Walker 21, Pathmarajah 18, Brown 11, Washington 9, Marsden 7, May-Thompson 7,
Burr 0, Norman DNP, Pastor DNP, Tallon DNP.
Breakers: Jackson 21. Spencer 19, Baker-McCann 9, Freckleton 9, Wilson 9, Dieterich 8, New Jnr 6,
Williams 5, Gregory 0, Formeloza DNP, Oates DNP.
Derby are on the road next weekend as they travel to bottom of the table Bristol Flyers II on
Saturday for a 7:30 PM tip-off.
Written by Nigel Cash.
Photo credit – Nick Higgins & Michael Taylor.
Now let’s take a look at other results from around the Blazers club this past weekend…
BLAZERS U14B ELECTRIFY THE COURT IN 67 – 5 ROUT OF LINCOLN LIGHTNING
Despite the Lincoln Lightning bringing some unexpected size to the court, it was clear from
the opening tip why they have struggled to find success this season. Their offence lacked
any real movement, stifled by a Trailblazers defence that forced them into difficult positions
early on. Lincoln’s first two possessions set the tone for their afternoon: a rushed shot at the
end of the shot clock followed immediately by a 24-second violation.
The Lightning managed to briefly limit the scoring in the first quarter through a combination
of their own slow-paced play and an extended time-out, but the Trailblazers quickly adjusted.
By the second period, the boys were consistently stripping the ball much earlier in the
possession. This defensive pressure translated into a scoring surge that left Lincoln
scoreless in the second quarter and handed the Trailblazers a massive lead at the half.
The second half followed a near-identical pattern. The Blazers remained relentless, shutting
out the opposition entirely in the third quarter. While Lincoln finally managed to find the
basket for two points in the final frame, the result was never in doubt. In a classic bit of junior
basketball mischief, the boys seemed determined to finish exactly on 67 points, likely a
cheeky nod designed to get under the skin of Coach Adam Taylor.
BLAZERS U14NL BATTLE TO THE FINISH IN SEASON FINALE AGAINST NEPTUNES
Derby Trailblazers U14NL squad played their final game of the season, hosting the
Northampton Neptunes in a matchup that was always going to be a significant challenge.
With the Neptunes needing a victory to secure second place in the standings, the intensity
was high from the opening tip-off against the two sides.
The Blazers met that intensity head on, starting the game with a fantastic burst of energy on
offence and a grit on defence that defined their play throughout the first half. It was a proper
back-and-forth contest, with both sides locked at 17–17 at the end of the first quarter, and
remaining deadlocked at 38–38 as they headed into the halftime break.
The third quarter proved to be the turning point, as several costly turnovers allowed the
Neptunes to find their rhythm and begin pulling away. Despite the shift in momentum, the
Blazers showed great character by sticking with it in the fourth quarter and fighting until the
final buzzer.
While the final result ended Blazers 62, Neptunes 76, it was a performance to be proud of
against a top tier opponent. The season concludes with the team finishing in a respectable
sixth place with a 9 to 13 record this season, with a solid foundation to build on for next
years campaign.
BLAZERS U18 PREM SECURE #5 SEED IN GRITTY CLASH AGAINST SHEFFIELD
ELITE
Despite a 75– to 66 loss on the scoreboard, Derby Trailblazers result against Sheffield Elite
was a strategic victory for the U18 Prem squad. By keeping the deficit to just 9 points, the
boys successfully won the head-to-head tiebreaker – a crucial result given that Sheffield
needed to win by more than 18 to gain the advantage.
The Blazers team headed into the matchup short handed, missing several key players due
to injuries and BCB commitments. However, the lack of depth didn’t stop the Blazers squad
from competing at a high level. David Felix was the standout performer of the day, stepping
up in a massive way. He was an absolute force on the block, racking up 31 points and 12
rebounds in a dominant display that Sheffield simply couldn’t contain depsite all efforts.
Fin Tuck and Jarom Howlett also hit double digits, contributing 11 and 10 points respectively
to keep the pressure on. The team’s resilience in the face of a depleted roster ensures
they’ve secured the #5 seed for the post-season. The Blazers U18P squad now look ahead
to the playoffs, where they will be taking a trip to face the Surrey Rams.
BLAZERS U12 TEST THEIR METTLE IN ELITE FRIENDLY AGAINST MILTON KEYNES
Following a successful league campaign, Derby Trailblazers U12 travelled to Milton Keynes
for a friendly that served as a true barometer for elite level basketball. While the scoreboard
finished 76 to 55 in favour of the hosts, the game provided a learning experience far greater
than any other fixture this season. Facing what is arguably the best team in the country, the
boys caught a glimpse of the standard required to compete at the highest level.
Milton Keynes brought 40 minutes of relentless full court defensive pressure and a high
octane motion offence. The stats speak for themselves: no opponent this season had come
within 51 points of them at home, where they average a staggering 127 points. For the
Trailblazers to hold them to 76 is a testament to their defensive grit and sheer determination.
The Blazers battled remarkably hard, trailing by only 6 points at the half. While the third
quarter saw the lead stretch by another 15 points, largely due to poor decision making
against a smothering press that led to breakaway layups, the Blazers regained their
composure in the fourth to go toe-to-toe once again.
The defining difference was the speed and intensity of the Milton Keynes press, a level of
pressure that is nearly impossible to replicate in practice. Despite the loss, there is immense
pride in the progress this squad has made. They showed fantastic spells of help defence and
continuous rotation, proving they belong on the same court as the nation’s best. This wasn’t
just a game; it was a roadmap for where this team can go next season.
