Match Report: Nottingham Hoods 79–84 Yorkshire Dragons

Despite a huge fourth-quarter push, the Hoods couldn’t quite get over the line on Saturday night in Halifax. A flat finish to the third quarter left them chasing the game, and although a late scoring surge narrowed the gap, the 10-point deficit they faced with three minutes left proved just a little too much. Nottingham ultimately fell 79–84 to the Yorkshire Dragons.

The Hoods started brightly, with sharp shooting from D. Nixon II and T. Walker helping them to an early seven-point lead. Yorkshire responded quickly, capitalising on multiple second-chance opportunities created by D. Ulph’s offensive rebounding. That momentum swung the first quarter in the Dragons’ favour, and they finished the period up by seven as Nottingham struggled to find clean looks under increasing ball pressure.

The second quarter opened at a high tempo, with S. Akano sparking the Hoods’ offence by scoring five straight points to cut the gap. Both sides found their rhythm from there. Nottingham pushed the pace in transition to generate much of their scoring, but frequent fouls defensively kept Yorkshire in touch through excellent free-throw shooting. Hustle plays from M. Savery-Richards, combined with timely three-pointers from B. Johnson and T. Williams, helped the Hoods take a five-point lead into the half.

After the break, both teams came out firing, trading scores resulting in several lead changes. Yorkshire eventually held the lead as foul trouble began to weigh heavily on Nottingham. E. Bailey picked up his fourth foul, while S. Akano and T. Williams each collected their third. This allowed the Dragons to ramp up their aggression on both ends. Forced turnovers and easy transition layups pushed their advantage to 11 by the end of the third quarter. Still, B. Johnson’s defensive energy and determination kept Hoods fans hopeful heading into the final period.

Nottingham opened the fourth quarter strongly. Early steals from C. Ross and S. Akano led to effortless transition points, and improved ball movement generated cleaner shots. A clutch three from M. Sokoli and a huge dunk from B. Johnson cut the deficit to just four. But Yorkshire answered, with J. Melke’s outside shooting restoring their cushion. The Hoods ramped up their intensity in the final minutes, drawing fouls and halving the lead with a minute to play, but the Dragons held firm to close out the game.

Despite the defeat, Nottingham can take plenty from sustained stretches of high-tempo and the resilience that they showed at both ends of the floor. The Hoods demonstrated they can compete with the league’s toughest sides. They’ll look to build on this performance as they head into next week’s fixture against the London Cavaliers.