BRADFORD Dragons got their first league win of the season with a narrow 88-85 victory at the Essex Rebels last Saturday.

The Rebels, currently bottom of the NBL Division One table, had a 0-5 record before the fixture.

The Dragons had failed to win in their first four games of the campaign, having played one match less than their hosts, due to the previous weekend’s postponement against the Nottingham Hoods.

There was also a new face on the Dragons roster, in the form of experienced shooter Steve Towell, who most recently had been competing in NBL3 with the Calderdale Explorers.

The game started at pace, and in a frantic first quarter, Towell, Ricky Fetske, Zach Gachette (pictured) and Jermayne Laing all scored points to give Bradford a 22-20 lead.

A three pointer from Dave Walsh was the highlight of the second period for the Dragons, but after another fiercely contested quarter, they were just 42-41 in front at half-time.

Gachette and Walsh were both on fire in the third quarter, allowing Bradford to pull away.

The away side’s dominance in that 10-minute period saw them open up a 68-56 lead.

Bradford continued to dominate from the start of the fourth, albeit only increasing their lead by a further two points, and their advantage was still in double figures with three minutes to go.

But then, it almost turned sour, as the Rebels clawed their way right back into the reckoning, and the score back to within two.

Gachette made a free throw to take the score to 88-85 in Bradford’s favour, before a last-gasp Essex three-point attempt to take the game into overtime ran round the rim and to safety.

For the Dragons, Gachette put up an incredible 35 points in that 88-85 victory, while Walsh and Fetske added 18 and 15 respectively.

Next, Bradford have a home double-header in the Bradford College Sports Hall, entertaining Oakland Wolves (1-5) in the league today (6:15pm), before a National Cup fourth round tie against the Derby Trailblazers tomorrow (4:15pm).

Tickets can be purchased in advance via bradforddragons.co.uk/tickets.html, with an online offer of buy one game and get the other for half-price.