By Jamie King
Reading Rockets 78 – Bradford Dragons 48
Saturday night saw the Rockets play host to a struggling Bradford Dragons side at Rivermead. Coming off the back of a tough January plagued by injuries and postponements and still missing AJ Basi and Tyler Cartaino, the Rockets were glad to have former captain Danny Carter back to don the red and black jersey once more after departing the team in 2019. The squad made sure that the reunion was a happy one, claiming a dominant 78-48 victory over the Dragons highlighted by some stellar defense and the continued development of the teams’ passing game.
Veteran forward Rihards Sulcs drew first blood for Bradford, making a layup which was quickly countered by a Jaz Bains three-pointer. The Rockets defended well in the early exchanges and Meshack punctuated the action with an emphatic, full-palm block on a Bradford layup attempt. After the resulting out-of-bounds, the Rockets kept their intensity up and forced a turnover to keep the score at just 3-2. Danny Carter’s first major contribution came through a beautifully weighted bounce pass from the top of the key to a cutting Jaz who finished the layup to give DC his first assist of the night. Seeking a quick score, Bradford pushed the pace but ran into the stellar defense of Reis Pinnock who broke up the play. On the next play, Carter found himself in space on the left wing and dropped a three through the nylon. Bradford continued to struggle offensively as Reading’s defense hounded the ball and forced turnovers. DC went to work in the paint next, carving out space on the left baseline and connecting on a short hook shot. Toluwase capped off Reading’s early run, charging down the lane for a big dunk that got Rivermead on their feet and put Reading 14-2 up. A couple of turnovers allowed Bradford to put some points on the board, but Pinnock’s strong defense forced another turnover as he stood strong in the paint and stripped the ball on a drive. A fight on the offensive boards as time ran out saw the ball fall kindly to Jaz on the wing, who calmly drained another three to close the quarter 17-7.
The second period opened with an exchange of layups and a tough mid-range jumper by Bradford’s Dave Walsh. Reading’s passing continued to sparkle in the halfcourt and Danny Carter’s passing provided Meshack with an easy and-one inside. Sam Toluwase took up Carter’s role on the very next play, generating another layup for Meshack and showcasing the utility of Reading’s passing out of the power forward position. Meshack continued to benefit from effective passing as Jaz sent a touch pass inside which produced another easy two. Walsh and Zach Gachette stopped the bleeding for Bradford but Reading were quickly back on the offensive, as Ben Dixon made two buckets around the hoop and Lewis Champion drained a three to put the Rockets up 33-18. Bradford continued to struggle against the Rockets defense, leaning on easy points from putbacks and free throws and the occasional tough shot by Walsh to provide scoring. The Rockets had no such issues, and Jaz took a Meshack handoff for a left-wing three before returning the favour by assisting the big man on an out-of-bounds play. More great passing saw DC find a mismatch inside, spinning baseline for an easy two. The half ended with Meshack earning a putback on the offensive glass to establish a 42-25 lead for the Rockets in a controlled first-half performance.
The Dragons were given little reason for optimism as the second half began, with Reis Pinnock’s energy on full display as he saved a potential turnover with a brilliant pass out to the wing which created another three for the red-hot Jaz Bains. Another example of the Rockets’ high-low game saw Toluwase feed Meshack inside before Jaz leveraged his shooting threat on the next play to get his defender in the air with a pump fake, casually collapsing the defense before dishing to Lewis Champion for an open corner three. A messy sequence ensued where both teams had opportunities to score but neither could convert, and the Rockets scrambled well on defense to keep the Dragons out. Toluwase finished a inside at the halfway point of the quarter to cap a 10-0 run for the Rockets which all but finished off the Dragons. Danny Carter and Ben Dixon both tallied blocks during the Rockets’ strong defensive stand but the Dragons were soon back on the board as the two sides traded free throws for a 54-30 scoreline. Dixon continued his great all-round play with a finish as he was wrapped up on the right block. The academy players, who have been performing admirably in recent weeks, were all able to get some more important minutes as the second half wore on and Isaac Round showed off his shooting touch with a mid-range jumper before Kivuvu Live and Reis Pinnock teamed up to block a layup attempt. Danny Carter was back on the scoreboard with a layup as the third came to a close, putting the Rockets up 61-32 after three period of two-way dominance.
The fourth quarter passed without any danger of a comeback, despite two early Jamari Edwards threes for Bradford, and the Rockets continued to generate easy offense inside which proved enough to maintain their lead. Live Kivuvu and Isaac Round both contributed points in the fourth as they joined a lineup of Pinnock, Carter and Dixon – who had each been excellent on the night – for the late stages of the game. The game finished 78-38 to the Rockets after an uneventful fourth, and Coach Pearson will be glad to see his team not only take an early lead but to then drive home the advantage. After some close games earlier this year in which the Rockets gave up big leads, a clinical performance like this shows the growth of the squad and their much improved synergy and energy at this point in the season. Meshack led the Rockets with 15 points and Dixon, Carter and Bains all hit double-digits too in a balanced offensive showing which featured some more brilliant ball movement and intelligent entry passes. The addition of DC opens up a wealth of options passing out of the high-post, and his ability to find cutters will mesh perfectly with Tyler Cartaino’s athletic interior play when he returns. Reis Pinnock was inspired once again on defense, keeping the whole team’s energy up with a number of strips and blocks as well as disruptive contests which kept Bradford to a measly 23% from the field. He collected 16 boards on the night too, a testament to his activity and ability to impact the game positively even when his shots aren’t falling. The Rockets can be extremely happy with this performance and were in control from the tip to the final whistle.