Bradford Dragons held their nerve to beat Manchester Magic 2 77-72 in a nail-biting EBL Division Three North encounter.

After a comfortable 66-46 National Shield victory the previous weekend, the Dragons were expecting an easy ride against a youthful Manchester team.

They won the first quarter 20-16 and increased their advantage to 46-31 at the half, pulling even further clear at 67-45 at the end of the third quarter.

A determined fightback by Magic saw the lead cut to just three points in the closing minutes of the game but with the starting five back on court, Dragons steadied the ship to win by five points.

Coach Chris Mellor said: "We dominated for the first three and half quarters and then, due to a lack of discipline at the end, we let Manchester back in the game. They went on a charge and put us under pressure but we pulled it out at the end."

Top scorers for Dragons were D Pabrieza 19, Raimond Pabrieza 15 and Craig Wilson 13.

Elsewhere, Dragons under-16s won in overtime at Barnsley 73-63, Dragons under-18s spilled a nine-point lead to lose 77-65 at home to Tees Valley Mohawks, while the under-14s won 71-35 against Gateshead.

Dragons face local rivals Bradford Maroons this Sunday at Parkside Road Sports Centre, Parkside Road, 2.30pm start.