In the first game of the afternoon, Tigers great team play took them to a comfortable win against the visitors from Bristol. Dom Hinchliffe led the scoring with 21 points and six other players got on the score sheet. It was also good to see Bradley King back on the court after the serious ankle injury which had kept him out of action before Christmas.
The first quarter was an excellent display of controlled basketball, as movement of the ball led to quality looks at the net. Apart from 1 free-throw and a short range jump shot from Dan Burke-Ward, all of Taunton's 19 points came from lay-ups.
Hinchliffe scored straight from the tip-off (won by Jon Orrells) and with Jack Penny following that up quickly with another score, Tigers were soon into their stride. The two teams then exchanged blows for a short time, before Taunton reasserted themselves and pulled away to a 19 – 10 advantage at the first break.
Tigers' 9 point lead going into the second period was immediately pushed out to 13 as Ben Hayes first stole the ball and drove the length of the court for an easy 2, and then again stole the ball on the in-bounds and helped himself to 2 more. At one stage in the quarter the lead stood at 20 points (35 – 15) as further points from Hinchliffe, Hayes, Burke-Ward, Jon Orrells and Spencer Gormley were complemented by a strong all-round defensive effort. Bristol did, though, nudge their way back into the game with a 6 – 0 run in the final minutes of the half to leave the score at 35 – 21.
Tigers came out for the third quarter determined to ensure that Flyers' run of points didn't turn into a comeback, and restricted them to just 4 points in the whole period. Hayes controlled the pace of the game on offence and began the period with assists creating inside scores for Hinchliffe and Orrells. Rob MacIntyre then showcased his skills with a drive under the basket and an audacious reverse lay-up. Gormley rounded the quarter off nicely with 4 straight points to put the home side in complete control at 48 – 25.
With another game to come, Tigers eased off a little in the final quarter but closed the game out without difficulty.