READING ROCKETS got back to winning ways when they played host to Bradford Dragons on Saturday night.
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.
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.
Meshack continued to benefit from effective passing as Jaz sent a touch pass inside which produced another easy two.
Lewis Champion drained a three to put the Rockets up 33-18.
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 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.
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.
The game finished 78-48 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.
By Jamie King
