Carnegie complete local derby double

Leeds had won their first encounter of the season in November and was keen to complete the double in what could potentially be their last competitive meeting with Bradford.

The game started in a high paced offensively focused fashion with both teams finding their rhythm straight from the opening tip. The teams traded baskets in the opening quarter with Dragons taking a 2 point lead into the second period.

Carnegie however stepped up several defensive gears and stemmed Bradford’s offensive output. They kept them to just 8 points in the second period while continuing to score freely on the offensive end.

This enabled Leeds to open out a 14 point lead at the half time break.

Dragons came out fully refocused on their defense in the third quarter. They started to interrupt Leeds offense whilst also picking up their scoring which enabled them to narrow the gap to just 9 points with just ten minutes to play.

This continued in the final period as Bradford looked to scrap their way back into the game. They gradually chipped away at Carnegie’s lead throughout the 4th quarter and they had tied the game up at 77-77 in the closing moments. With just 1.1 seconds to go Bradford’s Dennis Scott had the chance to win the game for the home team from the free throw line but was unable to hit either of his shots as the game crept into overtime.

Carnegie dominated the additional 5 minutes on both ends of the floor. Dragons were unable to contain Leeds high tempo transition style of play. As they secured the 85-100 derby win by pouring on 23 points in a highly impressive offensive overtime display whilst Bradford was only able to score 8 points in overtime.

Leeds scoring was led by Rowell Graham-Bell with 26 points whilst Dragons were led by Carl Pearson with 26 points. This win keeps Carnegie in 7th Place in the league with an 8 win 7 loss record.

They will now have a two week break from competitive league action before they travel to Bristol on Saturday 22nd February to face fellow future BBL franchise Bristol Academy Flyers.