BRADFORD Dragons defeated Liverpool Basketball Club 100-88, clinching a second successive National Basketball League Division One victory.

The Dragons avenged an early-season defeat to the hosts as the rich vein of form continued for coach Chris Mellor’s team.

Liverpool led 10-6 just four minutes into the first quarter but proceeded to go on a barren offensive spell that handed the visitors an opportunity to take the lead for the first time.

Jermayne Laing, Kenny Ogunneye and Rihards Šulcs all scored in the run, which helped the Dragons end a low-scoring opening quarter 18-17 to the good.

After going shot for shot, a desolate scoring streak for Liverpool came along. The Dragons took full advantage in a three-and-a-half-minute stretch that presented the visitors with a 31-23 lead.

Tyme Regent-Bascombe then managed to score nine straight points for Liverpool, in a vital stretch that brought his team within two points.

The Dragons saw out the final few minutes of the half and ensured a five-point lead at the interval (44-39).

Outscoring the Dragons 31-26 in the third, Liverpool battled into their first lead since the opening quarter.

The hosts finally broke back ahead with just over four minutes left to play in the period, as Reiss Haggith knocked down the third of his five threes for the game.

Laing responded with two huge buckets for the Dragons, tying the game up at 70-70 heading into the fourth period.

The visitors dug in and outscored the home side 30-18 in a vital fourth quarter. Captain Ricky Fetske scored all 11 of his points in the final exchanges to give the Dragons an important victory in the race for play-off seeding.

Mellor said post-game: “The score somewhat flattered us in the end because it was a two-point game with three minutes to go and we then closed out the game with an 11-1 run.

“We got in foul trouble and lost our discipline at times, but the contributions of Matt (Armstrong) and Ricky (Fetske) off the bench were big factors in seeing us home.”