BCB Trophy | Northern Group
Yorkshire Dragons 86 (19, 41, 60)
Derby Trailblazers 60 (11, 30, 43)
Derby Trailblazers’ hopes of reaching the knockout stages of the BCB Trophy were all but ended as
they slumped to an 86-60 away defeat at the hands of Yorkshire Dragons on Saturday night.
With Charlie Brown unavailable, Casey Burr injured and Jai Pathmarajah ill, it was never going to
be an easy task, as it left the Trailblazers with just seven fit players for what was effectively a must-
win match following their season-opening defeat to Nottingham Hoods.
What unfolded was painful to watch, as Derby were outclassed in all areas of the game. They shot
just 34% from the floor and a woeful 42% from the free-throw line, while their lack of size saw them
being outrebounded 51-39 and outscored 42-28 in terms of points in the paint.
Malcolm Smith and Conner Washington were joint top scorers with fifteen points each, while Evan
Walshe impressed with ten points, eight rebounds, four assists and two steals. No other Blazers
player managed to reach double figures in any category.
It was a totally different story for the Dragons, who were led by Jackson Dudek with 20 points,
seven rebounds and three assists, while Jordan Jefferson finished with 18 points and five
rebounds. Greg Wild added 16 points, five rebounds and six assists, but for many, the star of the
show was captain David Ulph, with 15 points, 16 rebounds, three assists and two steals.
His size and athleticism at both ends of the court were sadly lacking in the Derby roster, after a
planned deal to sign a versatile 6’9” overseas wing player fell through just days before the season
was due to begin.
Despite losing the jump-ball, the Blazers took an early lead as Washington struck from outside and
Walsh completed a driving lay-up. Jefferson responded with a triple for the Dragons before Ulph
converted a jump shot to tie the scores at 5-5. Raheem May-Thompson then nudged Derby ahead,
only for former Blazer Corey Johnson to tie the scores at 7-7.
Neither side troubled the scorers over the next couple of scrappy minutes, but when they did it was
the impressive Ulph who drove inside for a simple score. Walsh replied with a driving lay-up of his
own, but when Johnson converted from long range to make it 12-9, it was a lead which the
Dragons would never surrender throughout the remainder of the game.
It was also the start of a 10-2 run which sent the home side into the first break with a 19-11
advantage, and despite only being an eight-point advantage, it was hard to see how Derby would
get themselves back into the game.
Those feelings were ratified when the Dragons opened the second quarter with an 11-2 burst
which prompted the Blazers to take their second time-out of the game. Six quick points from Smith
provided hope, but after Jefferson and Washington exchanged three-pointers, the Dragons
continued to dominate.
Washington added a third triple, and a basket from Rob Marsden took the score to 41-30, and that’s
how it remained as the half-time buzzer sounded.
The Dragons opened the third quarter with seven straight points, which were countered by back-to-
back scores from Smith. Rodney Glasgow Jr. and Jefferson then exchanged scores before Ulph
produced an emphatic dunk to make it 55-36. Kendrick Gilbert then converted from long range, but
a 5-4 run from the Dragons saw them take a 60-43 lead into the final break.
Triples from Walshe and May-Thompson provided a glimmer of hope at the start of the fourth as
Derby trimmed the gap down to 60-49, but that hope was quickly dashed as Wild struck from
downtown to spark five unanswered points.
A dunk from May-Thompson excited the travelling fans, but the 17-2 run which followed, ironically
capped off by Johnson, effectively sealed the outcome of the game, as the Dragons’ lead peaked at
28 points with three minutes left. It meant three-pointers from Washington and Glasgow Jr counted
for nothing as the Blazers slumped to an embarrassing away defeat.
There was no hiding the disappointment of Head Coach Kyle Henderson:
“I fully understand the frustration of the supporters and both the team and I share that frustration
and disappointment, but ultimately we have to be better, and we have to improve quickly. I realise
that guys are still trying to get the rust off and get to know each other, but they have to do a better
job on the defensive end, and they have to do a better job of putting the ball in the net.
“The intangibles we should be focusing on, like rebounding and looking after the ball better, will
come, but there’s no hiding the fact it was a frustrating weekend and to come away from Yorkshire
with that kind of a deficit was definitely an eye opener.
“I always reflect on my own performance, and I’ve said that ever since I started my coaching
journey years ago, and the experienced guys are the same. They look at their own, their own
performances and the overall team performance and they know there’s work to be done, but I’m
confident we will adjust and bounce back,” he said.
Dragons: Dudek 20, Jefferson 18, Wild 16, Ulph 15, Johnson 13, Dubiel 2, Walton 2, Gaye 0,
Bartholomew 0, Onye 0, Kemp DNP, Lycoudis DNP.
Derby: Smith 15, Washington 15, Walshe 10, Glasgow Jr 7, May-Thompson 7, Kendrick 4, Marsden 2,
Brown DNP, Burr DNP, Pathmarajah DNP.
Derby’s final two group matches are both at home, firstly to Falkirk Fury next Saturday at the University Of Derby Sports Centre, and then against Newcastle Knights a week later, the following weekend.
Written by Nigel Cash.
