A seriously undersized and under strength Taunton Tigers team fought bravely against Champions Manchester Magic last weekend before going down 79 – 52 in the Men's National Division 1 battle.
Head Coach Ronnie Heath refused to risk players recovering from injuries for the journey ahead of must win home games against Teeside and Cardiff, instead choosing to give opportunities to young developing players.
Heath was confident that those players hungry for minutes would frustrate Manchester with intensity on defence. Indeed keeping them to 15 points in the first quarter kept Tigers in the contest, but Taunton consistently struggled at the other end of the floor. Poor player and ball movement meant that good looks at the basket were hard to come by for the whole of the first half. Offensive problems were compounded by the absence of both Andersons, Seeley and Rickwood, 4 of Tigers top scorers.
Manchester, one of the powerhouses of british basketball possess 3 of the best guards in the league, and Gill (10 Points), Adu (21 Points) and Kimbrough (13 Points) consistently gave Taunton problems at both ends of the floor as the Magic eased to a 35 – 17 point half time lead.
Those fearing a blow-out for the young Tigers need not have worried as they quickly adjusted to the pace and went on to win the 4th quarter restoring confidence and pride amongst the group. Tad Gray, Mike Sebire and junior Sean Clifford all stepped up to support Joe Andrews who made all of his 12 points in the 4th quarter.
Heath quickly turned his attention to the home game against Teeside Mohawks,
“Teeside will be buzzing after their 92 – 80 win against a strong Derby team, but we hope to be back to full strength by Sunday afternoon. I know their coach Dougie pretty well and he will have them very motivated but a packed Wellsprings always brings the best out of our group.”
Taunton who have won 3 games in the National Trophy against Division 1 opposition have yet to notch a win in the league so the Tigers will be desperate for a good performance this weekend.
With over 250 tickets already snapped up, the club are providing extra seating as the game is expected to be the first sell-out of the season. Supporters are encouraged to arrive before 3.30 to avoid disappointment for tickets on the door £4 Adults and £2 children for this Sunday's 4.00pm tip-off at Wellsprings Leisure centre.