BRADFORD Dragons coach Chris Mellor was happy to get the "job done" as his side beat Leicester Warriors 77-69 to secure their place in the National Trophy quarter-finals.

The Dragons travelled to the midlands knowing that victory could be the difference between finishing third in their round-robin pool or losing out on a last-eight berth by finishing fifth.

Leicester, on the other hand, had all but secured their progression, despite having lost at Manchester Magic the previous evening.

Mellor said: "I was happy with the way we started the game but Leicester gradually found their rhythm and caused us some problems on the boards.

"The decisive run came at the start of the fourth quarter and I was pleased with the way we closed the game out. The win secures our passage through to the quarter-finals, so job done."

Bradford started the game strongly, building up a seven-point lead within the first few minutes thanks to some strong shooting from Hungarian forward Tamas Szlavik.

But Leicester refused to let the visitors establish a stronghold and ended the first quarter only four points down at 22-18.

The second period followed a similar pattern, with the Dragons opening the gap to ten points before being pegged back again.

The Warriors trailed just 44-39 at half-time and showed great determination after the restart to briefly take the lead through a combination of precise shooting and strong defence.

The lead changed hands several times as Bradford edged one point ahead by the end of the penultimate period and although Leicester then scored the opening basket of the final quarter, the Dragons suddenly moved into a higher gear.

They opened up a 12-point gap – their largest of the game – and saw out the game for an eight-point victory that sealed third place in the group.

Top scorer for Bradford with 18 points was Rihards Sulcs, who said: "We started strongly and were looking good from the start of the game.

"But Leicester knocked down some big three-pointers and we couldn't pull away until the final period, when we tucked the game away.

"Defensively we are getting better but we're not quite there yet."

Szlavik finished with 15 points, while Miguel Lorenzo recorded a double-double with 15 points and 12 rebounds.

Derek Knutty led the Leicester scoring with 15 points, while former Bradford point guard Carl Pearson finished on 14.

Meanwhile, the Dragons' under-16s won 81-64 at Team Birmingham and currently sit top of the North Premier table.

The under-14s also sit proudly at the summit following an emphatic 109-38 victory at home to Tees Valley Mohawks.