RMT on form for Blazers (cont)

Stokic and Juskevicius quickly got the home side off and running with a pair of lay-ups before May-Thompson replied with a basket and a three-point play for a 5-4 advantage. The lead then switched several times before Carter made back-to-back scores and prompted a London time-out with 3’48” on the clock and the score at 14-11 in Derby’s favour.

When play resumed, Brennan Geoghegan missed a three-pointer and the Blazers further increased their lead through a May-Thompson floating jump shot. Lions then hit six points without reply before Dieterich sent Derby into the first break with an 18-17 advantage.

The start of the second quarter was strewn with missed shots and it took almost two minutes before Michael Amako broke the deadlock with a three-pointer for the Lions.

London were then punished with a coach technical for dissent, with Bruggeman converting the bonus and Carter scoring off the possession to put Derby back in front.

The two sides repeatedly exchanged scores, with a three-pointer from Nedas Cholevinskas opening up a four-point advantage before Donaldson scored twice in a 4-2 run which saw Lions take a 34-32 lead into the half-time break.

A three-pointer from Dieterich early in the third saw Derby retake the lead and May-Thompson split a pair of free-throws to make it 40-38, before Stokic tied the scores once again. The Blazers responded with a spell of May-Thompson brilliance. He produced a dunk, a blocked shot and a lay-up to open up a four-point lead.

Once again, the Lions fought back, with Tiaga Forster netting from close range and Amaka from downtown. Three-pointers from Dieterich and Donaldson helped Derby to an 8-2 run which forced the home side to call a time-out. Lions responded with a 9-4 run to briefly tie the game, but a Bruggeman three-pointer ensured the Blazers would take a 61-58 lead into the final quarter.

Jase Harrison hadn’t been having the best of games against his former club, but finally sank a three-pointer early in the fourth via a Carter assist, stretching Derby’s advantage before consecutive baskets from Bruggeman made it 71-59.

Cholevinskas then scored from inside and out either side of a rare Dieterich dunk before Stokic trimmed the gap to seven. A pair of May-Thompson free-throws were followed by a second technical foul on the London Coach James Vear, who was ejected with 1’39” remaining.

Bruggeman again sank the resulting free-throw to start a 7-2 run to close the game with Derby taking an 87-73 away win.

A heavy defeat for Manchester at home to Westminster the previous night meant they went into Sunday’s game with no hope of avoiding a bottom two finish, but it was good to see they still battled throughout despite their imminent return to NBL D2 North.

With Derby again not risking Smith, Elliott-Sewell or Perry, a relatively tight first three quarters were followed by a dominant display from Derby in a 31-19 final quarter as they recorded an impressive 89-71 away win.

May-Thompson was again in sensational form, top scoring with 25 points and adding another eight rebounds and three blocks as he generally made life difficult for the opposition.

After struggling the day before, Harrison really found his range, knocking down four of seven three-pointers on his way to 19 points. Dieterich made three of six on his way to 15 points and six rebounds, while Bruggeman had a further 15, adding five rebounds, six assists and two steals.

Elsewhere, Charlie Brown had a really good game, with eight points, eight rebounds, six assists and two steals, while Carter had a useful five points and six rebounds and Academy player Elliott Lawrence didn’t look out of place, netting two points, one steal and one block in just under 12 minutes of action.

Trailblazers Head Coach Matt Shaw singled him out for praise as the latest of a series of home grown talents the club has produced:

“On the whole, it was a really good weekend’s work from the guys. We perhaps weren’t at out best but it was a good chance to try some new things and get some extra court time for certain players. It was really exciting to see Elliott get so many minutes in over the two games as we get him involved a little bit more.

“He’s been training with the senior men for a few weeks now, so we’re really buzzing to see him out on the floor. It was great to see Jase shot the ball so well again on Sunday against Manchester and Raheem was just phenomenal over the course of the weekend.

“He’s really stepped up the last few weeks and we needed him to do that as were missing Malcolm, Leighton and Simeon too. We needed another couple of big games from him and he delivered as he’s done so many times in the past,” he said.

Manchester were led by Ben Brown, who had eight of his side’s first ten points, as he powered his way to a 23-point haul. Veteran Andre Gayle hit six three-pointers to rack up 18 points and nine rebounds. Joe Buchanon was their only other player in double-digits with ten points and five rebounds.

Just as happened the previous day, it was the home side who took the first spoils, opening up a four-point lead with baskets from Ben Brown and Bailey Goodall before Derby replied through Dieterich, who scored from open play and the free-throw line.

Baskets from Bruggeman and May-Thompson made it 8-4 to the Blazers, before two more three-pointers from Brown and another from Gayle saw Magic take a one-point lead. Ben Brown then added a lay-up to make it 15-12, but four points from May-Thompson and a pair of free-throws from Charlie Brown made it 18-15 to Derby at the first break.

However, Manchester started the second period strongly, with Buchanan, Tyrell Brown and Gayle going on a 7-nil burst to put Magic ahead by four. The run was eventually halted by Bruggeman before a Harrison steal led to Eric Donaldson feeding Lawrence for a deep jump shot which tied the scores at 22-all.

The two sides regularly exchanged scores over the next few minutes, with three tied scores before a Buchanon triple led to Derby taking a time-out at 32-31 down and 2’47” on the clock.

Magic stretched their advantage to three points as Buchanan sank a pair of free-throws before Harrison knocked down back-to-back triples only for Gayle to tie the game yet again from long range. A basket from Greg Wild was followed by Charie Brown splitting a pair of free-throws to make it 39-38 to Manchester at the half-time break.

Derby started the third quarter strongly, with back-to-back scores from May-Thompson and then a block and another three-pointer from Harrison. Once again, Gayle replied from downtown and after scores from Harrison and Bruggeman, he added another triple to make it 49-47 midway through the third.

A pair of free-throws and a fourth triple from Harrison sparked a mini-run from the Blazers, whose third quarter advantage peaked at 57-47 before they closed the period leading 58-52.

A triple from Dieterich and a three-point play from May-Thompson saw the lead stretched to 14 points and Manchester called time-out with 5’51” on the clock. They responded with a three-pointer from Wild and a second basket for Goodall, who also pulled down nine rebounds in the game.

Three-pointers then started flying in, with Dieterich adding two more for Derby and both Gayle and Tyrell Brown netting for the Magic before Harrison and Dieterich both scored from inside. Bruggeman then picked the pocket of Wild and immediately converted his only three-pointer of the game to make it 83-67.

Carter then got in on the long-range shooting via a Charlie Brown assist and the lead peaked at 19 points when the latter also added a lay-up of his own with 1’06” remaining.

 

Local pride secured as ‘Blazers overcome Hoods (cont)

Local pride secured as ‘Blazers overcome HoodsFigures of 54.7% overall and 40% from beyond the arc back up Shaw’s thoughts, but free-throw shooting of just 54.5% leaves plenty of room for improvement ahead of the play-offs.

Nottingham were led by 7’0” centre Mo Williams and Kyle Jiminez who both netted 22 points, with Williams adding eight rebounds and Jiminez dishing off eight assists.

The opening stage of the first quarter were tightly contested, with Hoods scoring first and Derby playing catch-up until consecutive baskets from Elliott-Sewell tied the scores at ten-all after three and a half minutes.

Hoods dominated the next few minutes, opening a 20-14 advantage and forcing Coach Shaw to call time-out with 2’49” on the clock. A basket from Bruggeman and the first of two Elliott-Sewell three-pointers helped close the gap, but a pair of turnovers led to Hoods closing the quarter with four unanswered points to lead 24-19.

With Nottingham having won the reverse fixture by four points, Derby needed to not only win this game, but to do so by five or more points, so the opening quarter certainly hadn’t gone according to script and the Blazers needed a response and quickly.

It began with Elliott-Sewell netting a lay-up and a pair of free-throws, the latter of which were matched by Nottingham’s Williams. There was better to follow as Blake Bowman sparked a 9-0 run which included a coast-to-coast move and a triple in what would be his best spell of the game.

All of that took the score to 31-26 and prompted a Nottingham time-out with 7’20” on the clock. Baskets were exchanged over the next four possessions, before the Blazers launched a barrage of three-pointers. Dieterich, Carter and Bruggeman all converted from long range to open up a thirteen-point lead.

Hoods responded with a 9-2 burst, but five points from Bruggeman either side of a Logan Bailey lay-up completed an impressive 30-18 second quarter, giving Derby a 51-42 advantage heading into the half-time break.

With local pride at stake, Nottingham unsurprisingly fought back strongly at the start of the third, as three-pointers from Vickers, Jiminez and Johde Campbell pulled in back to a two-point game with 7’58” on the clock.

Derby then hit seven without reply, only for Hoods to respond with a 5-nil burst. However, the Trailblazers closed the quarter with a 15-3 run which included two three-pointers from Bruggeman and another from Dieterich, who was fed by an over the shoulder no-look pass from the American point-guard.

It meant Derby took a 77-61 lead into the fourth and they effectively killed the game off with a three-pointer Dieterich, another from Elliott-Sewell, a third from Dieterich and a lay-up from Elliott-Sewell, with Kayne King being the provider for three of those four shots.

That took the score to 88-61, allowing Derby to run their bench for the remainder of the game and Hoods took advantage with a number of successful long-range baskets to reduce the damage, but it was all a case of too little, too late for the visitors.

Coach Shaw says it was crucial result for his side:

“It was a huge win for us, against a side which clearly has the potential to cause an upset in the play-offs. Jonas and Ryan did a great job of getting the ball in the basket from the perimeter and it was just an all-round solid performance from us against a really good Hoods team.

“The win gives us a really good chance of getting a home berth in the play-offs which is what we’ve been aiming for over the last couple of months,” he said.

Blazers complete double over Solent (cont)

“It was really positive to go down to Solent and come back with a win; it’s the first time we’ve been able to do that for several years,” admitted Trailblazers’ head coach Matt Shaw.

“There were lots of really satisfying elements to the performance, particularly in terms of defending which was pretty strong in patches. We used our zone defence pretty effectively and offensively we found a way to score even though we weren’t at our best.

“It was great to see Morgan step up so well after Malcolm had to sit out after picking up a little niggle and everyone was delighted to see Leighton back in a Blazers shirt after such a tough season on the side-lines with a long-term injury.

“For him to be able to get some minutes was really positive and we’re hoping he reacts well to that and is able to push forward ahead of the play-offs.

“Ryan had another stellar game. He really controlled the tempo for us and had some really good moments, as did Raheem too,” he said.

Derby shot the ball better overall, particularly close to the basket, where they converted 51% of their shots and scored 54 points in the paint. They also punished Solent for their 13 turnovers, netting 18 points as a result, while the home side only scored five from the Blazers nine ball-handling errors.

An opening three-pointer from Dieterich via an assist from Jase Harrison was countered by triples from Sam Akano and Greg Durand before Bruggeman tied the scores with a three-point play.

After a solitary free-throw from Maddison, Bruggeman added four more before Smith converted a three-point play and then Elliott-Sewell and Eric Donaldson completed an 11-0 run to lead 17-7 after seven minutes.

Solent got back on track with a Walker lay-up and a Madison three-point play before Derby closed out the opening period with another 6-2 burst to lead 23-14.

Carter had two lay-ups either side of a Martin three-pointer early in the second quarter, before four points from Smith stretched the lead to 31-19. Madison ended that run with a three-point play and although the foul was committed by Harrison, it was at that stage that Smith clattered to the floor with a knock to his ankle which ended his involvement.

With their talisman and regular top scorer out of action, Derby knew they would have to dig deep to get the win and there was no better way to start than with Bruggeman stealing the ball and passing to Donaldson who set up May-Thompson for an emphatic alley-oop dunk.

Greg Durand replied with a triple, but May-Thompson was on a roll, adding eight of the points in a 13-6 run which was capped off with a Donaldson three-pointer. Solent then closed the second period with a lay-up and a pair of free-throws, but Derby took a 46-35 advantage into the break.

The Blazers lead peaked at 66-48 when Donaldson converted his second triple of the game via a Charlie Brown assist with 2’44” on the clock. However, a three-pointer from Poorman then started an 11-6 run which saw the gap trimmed to 72-59 at the final break.

After Bessard and Dieterich exchanged opening scores in the fourth, Martin converted from deep before Madison split a pair of free-throws and then added a lay-up to make it 74-67 with six minutes left.

Baskets from Harrison and Brown, followed by a pair of free-throws from May-Thompson took the lead back to thirteen before Bessard nailed a huge three-pointer.

An attempted reply from May-Thompson was short, but Poorman converted a lay-up and Martin added a triple as the lead was cut to just five points with 2’45” remaining. Derby took a time-out but followed it up with missed chances from inside and out and an offensive foul.

Sensing a shock could be on the cards, Solent called time-out with 1’31” on the clock, but immediately lost the ball to a steal by Brown. A key play followed when May-Thompson blocked a Madison shot before racing down court produce a dunk via a Bruggeman assist.

A three-pointer from Martin with nine seconds on the clock trimmed the gap to just four points, but Dieterich held his nerve to sink a pair of free-throws and secure a hard fought 84-78 road win.

Penultimate double-header of season beckons for Trailblazers

Remarkably, Saturday’s game will be the first meeting between Derby and  Lions this season, as the original fixture which should have taken place just before Christmas was called off because of Covid. That game has now been re-arranged for Sunday 27^th March, as the second half of another double-header, which also involves a trip to Leicester Warriors.

The Lions, formerly known as both Barking Abbey and Kent Crusaders comprise mainly of college students, supplemented with four senior players, but what they lack in terms of experience is often matched in terms of youthful experience and a determination to fight to the very end.

Consequently, they have already picked up some big scalps this season and Trailblazers Head Coach Matt Shaw is well aware of the threat they pose:

“They’re having another decent season and I’ve no doubt this will be a difficult game for us. Barking Abbey is a tough place to play and they’ve picked up some phenomenal wins over the likes of Thames Valley, Newcastle and Worthing.

“We’re going to have to be at our best because they’re particularly dangerous on their home court which is a very tight facility,” he said.

Elijah Maynard, Bradley Kaboza, Jase Harrison and Brandon Tchouya all average double-digits and over five rebounds per game, with Maynard leading the way on 18.9 ppg and 36.3% from beyond the three-point line.

Derby will be boosted by the return of Malcolm Smith from illness and Jonas Dieterich who missed last weekend’s game due to personal circumstances and the pair will no doubt boost the Blazers chances of coming away with an important away win.

Bradford are another side who have the capability of causing problems, but their season has been blighted by injuries to key players such as Ricky Fetske and Rihards Sulcs.

There’s no doubt their relatively short roster contains plenty of talent and they would almost certainly be higher up the table had it not been for injuries.

Former BBL forward Zach Gachette leads their attack with 21.7 points, 6.7 rebounds and 4.3 assists per game. Three-point specialist David Walsh sinks 34.2% from long range on his way to 14.0ppg, while Micah Savery-Richards averages 13.1 and Fetske a further 12.8.

“Gachette is probably one of the most dangerous players in the league,” said Coach Shaw.

“He’s had multiple games in which he’s scored over thirty points this season, so he’s definitely someone we’ll have to try and slow down if we’re going to take care of business against the Dragons,” he said.

Derby have already beaten the Dragons three times this season and head into this one knowing it’s never easy to keep such runs going indefinitely.

Their 94-50 home win in the group stage of the L Lynch Trophy was followed by an 84-75 away win in the league and a 99-77 away win in the National Cup.

However, injuries have meant Bradford have yet to field a full-strength side against Derby this season, something the Trailblazers certainly need to wary of as they head into this one.