Derby Trailblazers will look to make it five in a row as they take on Yorkshire Dragons at the
Clarence Wiggins Sports Centre on Saturday at 7:30 pm. The two sides met in the group stage of
the Trophy, with the Dragons recording an 86-60 home win, so Derby will be looking to produce a
much-improved performance.
That’s precisely what happened earlier in the season against Nottingham Hoods, as the Blazers
erased the memories of a narrow 79-76 away defeat in the Trophy, producing a hard-fought 77-70
home win in the league. More of the same would be very much welcome this weekend.
Despite going 3-1 to finish second in the Northern group of the Trophy, Yorkshire haven’t had the
best of starts to their league campaign, where they have won just one of their opening six games,
leaving them eleventh in the league standings. Their solitary success against Newcastle Knights
was followed by defeats to Bristol Hurricanes, Loughborough, Reading and Hemel.
Former Derby guard Corey Johnson leads the Dragons with 18.5 points, 5.5 rebounds and 5.5
assists, despite only shooting 38% from the field. US imports Jackson Dudeck and Jordan
Jefferson shoot 56% and 44% from the field, respectively, with Dudeck averaging 17.8 points, 5.7
rebounds and 1.2 assists, while Jefferson adds 17 points, 4.2 rebounds and 2.3 assists.
Their captain David Ulph completes a double-double almost every time he enters the court and
boasts an impressive seasonal average of 11.3 points and 14.5 rebounds. The battle between him
and Derby’s captain Rob Marsden (8.3 points / 7.8 rebounds) will be interesting to see unfold.
Trailblazers Head Coach Kyle Henderson is keen to keep Derby’s winning run going and also
wants to see a stark improvement from the heavy defeat the Trailblazers suffered against
Yorkshire in the Trophy.
“We’re looking forward to this weekend against Yorkshire, particularly because we didn’t fare well
against them in the Trophy. We’ve had some great wins over the past few weeks, so I think
Saturday’s game will be a good test for us and give us an indication of where we’re at. We’ve had
a good week of practice, and I know the guys are really locked in for the match,” he said.
Having made his return to the club in the win over Bristol Hurricanes last weekend, Blake Bowman
is straight into the key stats for the Trailblazers. His haul of 19 points puts him straight at the top of
Derby’s points production, level with Malcolm Smith. With Evan Walshe (14.6), Jai Pathmarajah
(11.7) and Kendrick Gilbert (9.0), the Blazers now have a potent group to lead their attack.
Saturday’s action is a 7:30 pm tip-off at the Clarence Wiggins Sports Centre, and for those who
can’t make the trip, LiveStats will be available via the following link: tinyurl.com/e5bp3kcm
