National League Division 4 South West
Thames Valley Cavaliers II 62, Huish Taunton Tigers 67

HUISH Taunton Tigers embarked on their final league fixture of the season on Saturday, away to Thames Valley Cavaliers II.

The visitors came away with a five-point win, but only after being pushed to the limit by a spirited Cavaliers team.

The players were disappointed to learn earlier in the week that Bristol Flyers II were handed the league title when Basketball England awarded them a 20-0 victory for their unplayed game against third-placed RCT Gladiators.

That fixture could have affected the final standings and would have made for an exciting, high-pressure match-up between two top teams to finish the season.

It means that both Flyers and Tigers finish with 17 wins and three losses, but Bristol have the edge on head-to-head, with just two points separating them.

Determined to finish their league campaign with a win, Tigers got a good start against Cavaliers.

In the first quarter they shot the ball well from beyond the three-point line and jumped out to a 31-12 lead by the end of the period.

It was downhill from there for the away side, though, as Cavaliers went on to win the next three quarters, gradually clawing back the deficit.

The second quarter was a low-scoring affair that ended 14-12 to the hosts, as the good shooting from Tigers dried up and Cavaliers rebounded well at the offensive end.

Taunton still held a comfortable half-time lead, 49-26, but it was reduced further in the third quarter following good outside shooting from Cavaliers, combined with strong moves inside.

The visitors weren’t able to regain their offensive form and struggled to run their plays, so by the end of the quarter their lead was down to 11 (56-45).

The fourth was a scrappy quarter, with Cavaliers continuing their fightback and Tigers looking to hold on.

Mark Schroeder was key down the stretch for Tigers, scoring six of his game-high 19 points.

As the quarter drew to a close, Tigers showed good composure in closing out the game and using the clock to their advantage.

Cavaliers were never able to get in front and the match finished 67-62.

The top scorers for Tigers were Mark Schroeder (19), Paul Yabsley (16) and Christian Alexander (13), with M. Adan (16), M. Donegal (16) and D. Gumbs-Williams (13) leading the Cavaliers’ effort.

By finishing as runners-up, Taunton have secured a place in the Division 4 playoffs, and will be seeded sixth out of eight teams.

They will face the winners of the Midlands division, Team Derby, in the first play-off round on Saturday.