Blazers aiming to go fourth

DERBY Trailblazers can secure fourth place when they round off the regular NBL Division One season at home to Loughborough Riders today (5.30pm).

Derby have a 13-5 record and cannot finish lower than fifth as they prepare for a new-look play-off competition, which has been changed to compensate for league fixtures lost to the pandemic.

All 14 division one clubs will be involved, with the first and second seeds receiving a bye in the first round. The other 12 compete, with third at home to 14th, fourth hosting 13th and so on.

Derby needed a huge fourth quarter to secure a 77-75 victory when the two sides met in Loughborough in January, after trailing by 11 points late in the third.

Blake Bowman and Malcolm Smith spearheaded the fightback, as the Blazers opened the quarter with a 15-2 run in which the pair scored all but four of the points.

Josh Guddemi missed that game through injury but top-scored for Derby last weekend and says he is well aware of how difficult a side Riders can be.

“Loughborough are another very good team, but then so are we and I think teams fear us more than we fear them,” he said.

“I think their league position is perhaps a bit misleading, but I’m quite happy to go against Loughborough and, hopefully, get ourselves another win.

“As for myself, I’m feeling good now and my body feels a lot better than it did.

“I was struggling with injuries in the first half of the season and while I was doing what I could to help, I feel like I can do a lot more right now.”

Loughborough go into the match, at the Nottingham Wildcats Arena, in eighth and so have the incentive of taking home advantage in the playoffs if they can hold on to that position.

Niall Ennis had a spell on loan with Burton Albion this season.