Levett Leopards made it a perfect weekend as Bradford Dragons were beaten 83-79 at the Brentwood Centre on Sunday .

After the previous day’s overtime win against Solent, it wasn’t any less nerve-shredding at Brentwood the following day as Dragons were eventually slain in another tense game .

The Big Cats never trailed after the mid-stage of the opening period but Bradford produced a fighting performance to take the game to the wire .

Darrell Bethune and Mike Martin again led the way with 21 and 19 points respectively and collecting nine assists apiece, with Martin also chipping in with four assists . AJ Roberts finished with his best numbers of the season with a 16 point, ten rebound double-double, adding five assists, with Tosin Oyelese adding nine points and Jamie Hayes eight .

After the previous night’s exertions, Leopards predictably started slowly despite a Roberts triple, but a Bethune trey launched a 9-0 run open a 14-8 lead with seven minutes gone, and the hosts never trailed again .

Bradford replied with five points but the home side closed out the period with six unanswered points to lead 20-13 at the first break.

That lead evaporated as Dragons opened the second period with a 9-2 run to tie the game only to see Bethune hit seven straight points and Oyelese five as Leopards replied with a 12-2 tear, and they went into the locker room with a 38-33 lead .

Six straight Hayes points kept the Big Cats ahead early in the second half and with Lawson draining from long range the home side went into the final break with a 63-58 lead .

Only Martin’s four point troubled the scorers for Leopards in the opening five minutes of the fourth period and Marcus Gooding hit three straight triples to tie the game at 67 .

Bethune broke the drought with a pair of lay-ups, and Dragons never got closer than two points again before Roberts wrapped up the win at the foul line .

American guard Gooding led the visitors with 27 points, while Rihard Sulcs adding 14 points for a Dragons side who were out-rebounded 49-29

2011 – Leopards down Flyers

Leopards 91 (26,51,69) Bristol Academy Flyers 87 (23,42,60)

LEOPARDS ended Division One champions Bristol Academy Flyers’ unbeaten start to the league season with a 91-87 victory in front of a large crowd at Brentwood on Sunday. The Big Cats did it the hard way, though, letting a 20 point lead with five minutes remaining slip before Ousman Krubally sealed the win.

Krubally finished with a 25 point, 11 rebound double-double, while Vernon Teel also had 25 points, adding 11 assists and seven boards. John Lister had his best game since joining the Big Cats as he hit his first nine shots on the way to a 21 point night, while 16-year-old Joe Lockwood had an impressive nine points and six rebounds in 16 minutes of action.

Krubally scored the first six points of the game for the Leopards, but Dejan Mihevc’s team started slowly, with Davis Bown’s three-pointer giving Bristol a 15-8 lead with just over three first period minutes remaining However, as Lister found his range he scored eight points and David Buchberger added to send Leopards into the first break with a 26-23 lead.

Teel opened the second period scoring, and with Lister and Buchberger both scoring from three-point land, Leopards went on a 12-4 run to lead 40-27 at the midway stage of the quarter. Flyers fought back, with Tyrone Treasure making it a three point game with 2:34 on the clock, but Leopards finished the half strongly as Lockwood capped a 7-0 run off Teel’s assist to send the hosts into the locker room with a 51-42 lead.

Teel opened the second half scoring for the home side with a pair of free-throws, before Lister hit another trey. He finally missed a shot with five third period minutes gone, but Leopards stayed in front with their lead fluctuating between five and ten points, and a Teel drive to the basket sent them into the final break with a 69-60 lead.

Krubally scored off Teel’s assist to open the fourth period and a rare three from the American forward capped a 17-6 Leopards’ run to put them 86-66 ahead going into the final five minutes. However, Flyers showed why they are top of the table as Greg Streete launched an 11-0 run to get them back into the game and as Leopards scored only two points in over four minutes, Roy Owen made it a two point game when he drained a trey with 38 seconds on the clock.

Teel missed a jump shot and Krubally saw an effort blocked before Teel was called for a foul with 13 seconds left to send Owen to the line. The former Worcester Wolves’ guard hit the first free-throw but missed the second leaving Krubally to grab the rebound.

He was sent to the foul line by Bown, and also hit the first before missing the second but grabbed the board and scored to seal the game for Leopards.

Leopards: O Krubally (25), V Teel (25), J Lister (21), J Lockwood (9), D Buchberger (6), Z Wells (3), D Norton (2), L Volskis, J Johnson, B Wilkinson, J Cabey (DNP), M Adomaitis (DNP).