Blazers surge earns place in Trophy final
DERBY Trailblazers are through to the L Lynch Trophy final after beating holders Team Solent Kestrels 92-77 to crown an excellent weekend.
The previous day, Derby overcame Leicester Warriors 100-72 in NBL Division One.
An astonishing third quarter was the key to Trailblazers getting their first win over Solent since February 2019. At half-time, they were down by 17 points but returned to take the third quarter 35-6.
It means Derby will head to Worthing on January 2 for the final to face Team Newcastle, who beat Reading Rockets 92-88.
It will be the first NBL final Solent have failed to reach since 2017, a fact which really puts the magnitude of
Derby’s success into context.
Blake Bowman led Derby with 22 points, with Malcolm Smith adding 21 and Raheem May-Thompson 13.
However, it was a stand-out performance from Ryan Bruggeman which really caught the eye. The US guard had missed the last five weeks with an ankle injury but returned to complete a double-double of 13 points and 10 assists.
“It was a phenomenal second half performance,” said Trailblazers head coach Matt Shaw.
“It was a tough first half and although I don’t think it was as bad as what the score suggested at the break, we hadn’t hit many shots and we’d let them get away from us a bit.
“The second half was just incredible, particularly at the defensive end, and what a way to make a major final!”
Kestrels edged the first quarter by two points but stretched ahead in the second and Chris Scarlet’s threepoint shot on the buzzer made it 51-34, leaving Derby supporters to fear a repeat of the heavy defeat which knocked the Blazers out of the National Cup the previous weekend was on the cards.
However, it was a totally different Trailblazers side which came out for the third quarter.
The gap was briefly cut to six points in the fourth only for the Blazers to respond with nine straight points to confirm their place in next month’s final.
Derby were behind 25-17 after the first quarter against Leicester but they were much better in the second and closed the quarter with a 7-0 run to lead 47-41 at the break.
They carried that momentum into the third and, with a 77-55 lead, were always unlikely to let that slip.
DERBY 92 SOLENT 77
Derby: Bowman 22, Smith 21, May-Thompson 15, Bruggeman 13, Dieterich 11, Elliott-Sewell 8, Carter 2.
Solent: Gentry 19, Jackman, 19, Busumbru 12, Dadds 8, Okoronkwo 8, Richardson 3, Scarlett 3, Sentance 3, Archer 2.
DERBY 100 LEICESTER 72
Derby: Smith 23, Bowman 22, Dieterich 14, May-Thompson 13, Elliott-Sewell 10, Ugo 10, Carter 3, Prospere 3, Brown 2. Leicester: Turner 30, Riley 11, Willan 8, Chingombe 5, Pearson 5, Jabby 4, Pollock 3, Dublin 2, Powell 2, Dublin 2.
Derby are back at the Clarence Wiggins Sports on Saturday for their final game before Christmas, against BA London Lions II (7pm).