Tigers' impressive run of form continued last Saturday with this crushing victory, in a very physical encounter away to Cornwall Cougars. Their fourth victory in a row sees them move up into second place in the league and, with 6 of their remaining 9 matches at home, they are now in excellent shape for a push for promotion.
In recent games, Taunton have been somewhat reliant on the strength of their defence to see them through. But this week another dominating defensive effort was matched by an equally impressive display on offense. With crisp movement of the ball, they raced out to a 26 – 14 lead at the end of the first quarter. Then, with good transition and fast-break basketball, added another 27 points before half-time to leave the home side trailing by 18.
Cornwall would have needed a huge third quarter to claw their way back into the match, but the visitors ensured they didn't get it. Led by Rich Nelsey, Taunton restricted their opponents to only 10 points in the period, and 71 – 45 lead was never going to be overturned in the final period
This was an excellent team performance to which every member of the squad contributed. Important scoring contributions came from throughout the team, but special mention needs to go to Tigers' big men, Adam Rickwood (21 points) and Tad Gray (18). Assists from Alistair Bird and Joe Saunders were another big factor in the win.
Coach Gary Carter was delighted to see all parts of Tigers' game coming together,
“We are continuing to learn and improve within our offense and we are now starting to make better decisions. That was also another great defensive effort, and a good win in a potentially difficult place to visit.”
Taunton have one more game before the Christmas break (away to Guernsey on Sunday). They can then look forward to 4 home games in successive weekends in January.