Match Reports:


AUGUST 06

Okehampton (friendly);

The Revolution started their 2006-2007 training campaign with a friendly against Okehampton. From the outset of the game the Revolution took advantage of the younger and less experienced home team, who despite some ball movement were unable to come up with the baskets. Once the Revolution had their running game established it was difficult for the Okehampton side to keep up, and the Revolution would end up scoring the majority of their points on the fast break. It was a good team effort overall and a nice lead into the first of three friendly games for the pre-season. It was also an enjoyable run for all the players. The Okehampton team learned some lessons from the Revolution, and the final score was 92-60. Top scorers were Carrillo with 27, Eggleton with 26 and Cooper with 25. Every one of the Revolution players were on the scoreboard; Acott & Baker with 6 each and Thompson with 2. Eggleton finished with a triple double including 11 rebounds and 10 assists and Carrillo chipped in with 18 rebounds.

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SEPTEMBER 06

Minehead (friendly);

The second pre-season friendly for the Revolution saw them playing a new Minehead team, which included some ex-Revolution players. The new Minehead opposition consisted of a good mix of young talent and experienced players, and from the outset established their running game. The Revolution struggled on the boards early without their centre John Grounds and Minehead capitalised on some easy second chance points. The Revolution never really recovered from a poor start, and it was clear that there was a lot of work to do to content in Division 1 this coming season. The Minehead side continued to pile on the points and the Revolution, despite some good play of their own were having trouble making their shots. The final score after a fourth quarter where uncharacteristically the Revolution heads went down, was 67-102. The Revolution left the game with some reflection in defeat. Top scorers were Carrillo with 24 and Eggleton with 14. Marc Eggleton also finished with 8 assists and Gabriel Carrillo had a team high 7 rebounds.

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Okehampton (friendly);

The final friendly of the 2006-07 pre-season was a home match against Okehampton. The game started fairly slowly, and the Okehampton team were playing well keeping the game close for the majority of the first quarter. The Revolution side were working the ball around the perimeter and setting their offence up to more of a structure rather than using the break, so the game was slower than previous encounters. Prior to the halftime break the Revolution exerted them selves a little more on the defensive end allowing them to pull away a little. The second half was more of the same where the Okehampton team started making some really nice plays. Unfortunately for them the Revolution side also produced some quality team basketball and giving some bench players well deserved significant minutes. The Taunton side started taking advantage of the oppositions inexperience and would take this one 64-45. Scorers were Eggleton 16, Grounds 15, Cooper 12, Howlett 9, Briggs and Lockyer 4 each, Thompson and Acott 2 each. Howlett also chipped in with 11 rebounds.

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OCTOBER 06

Torbay;

Taunton Revolution started the regular season against tough opposition and arch rivals Torbay on Monday October 2nd. The game was a defensive struggle from the outset with neither team settling into their offence early. Torbay took an early lead with the Revolution clawing their way back to end the first quarter slightly behind 10 – 13. The second quarter brought more of the same in terms of the defence, with neither team giving an inch and the home side were down by 6, 21 to 27 at the half. With a renewed energy at the beginning of the half, the Revolution side went on a mini run to draw the game close and then took the lead for the first time mid way into the third quarter. This was followed by some great offence by the Torbay side that were to end the third quarter up 32 to 42. The final quarter finally saw the Revolution shooting settle into a rhythm with Brett Cooper and Marc Eggleton hitting vital baskets. Some great team play and defensive intensity, the Revolution gave one final push in the middle of the last quarter to bring the score close, but in the end the experience and poise of the Torbay side allowed them to keep their heads and eventually come away winners 49 – 62. There was some great spirited play by the new Revolution team, and despite the result the team viewed the game as a great learning experience where they showed a lot of heart. The rest of the season looks promising based on this performance. Captain Marc Eggleton had a game high with 5 assists and 7 steals, and John Grounds had 7 rebounds and an amazing 7 blocks despite injuring his wrist early in the game. Tom Baker had a team high in rebounds with 8 in limited minutes off the bench. Scorers on the night were Cooper 17, Eggleton 14, Carrillo 7, Grounds 5, Acott 4 and Baker 2.

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Exeter Nomads;

Taunton Revolution played the Exeter Nomads on Monday 9th October. The home team started a little slow with the visiting Nomads playing at full speed running them off the floor and pulling out to an early 10 point lead. The Revolution were missing their centre John Grounds who is out with a broken wrist from last weeks game. The defence picked up and started working towards the end of the first session finishing down by only 5, 21-26. In the second quarter, some great defensive plays and quick points turned the game around and saw the Revolution lads take the lead halfway through the quarter. They continued the pressure and turned the steals into points, and scored 33 points to the Nomads’ 17 in the quarter to take the lead at the half 54-43. The third quarter was more of the same, with some great defence led by Ben Thompson the Revolution went into the last quarter 72-59 up. A final push by the Nomads drew the game close, and then the whole team played under control down the stretch to weather the storm. Some great bench points from Matt Acott with 7 points and 20 from Jon Howlett on his first game back since the second half of last season proved vital. As a team the Revolution shot 60% from the field, and 33% from the 3 point line which was a good performance. Captain, Marc Eggleton top scored with 25 points including 5 three pointers. Other scorers were Gabriel Carrillo – 15, Brett Cooper – 16, and Ben Thompson – 2.

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Broadclyst Bandits;

The Revolution played their first away game of the new season on Saturday 14th October at Broadclyst Bandits. The Revolution started a little slowly offensively, using a lot of energy on defence against the bigger home team. They ended the first quarter down 13-18. In the second quarter both teams were evenly matched be the end of the period where Captain Marc Eggleton made back to back three’s to keep the Revolution in the running. At the half the Revolution still trailed by 5. The second half saw a resurgence of the Revolution, where they started to click on the offensive end. With the great defence that is becoming the teams’ trade mark in the last few games, and their Captain again producing some hot shooting making three 3’s on his way to a total of 13 points in the quarter, the Revolution dominated the third allowing them to enter the fourth up by 4 points 46-42. In the final quarter the Revolution continued their offensive flow and Gabriel stepped up his shooting scoring 8 of his 16 points in the last ten minutes. After some pressure from the home team towards the end, the Revolution showed great poise and would come out on top 63-58. Statistically Gabriel had a game high 11 rebounds and 3 big blocks, and Marc Eggleton chipped in with 5 assists, 4 steals and 8 rebounds to go along with a game high 28 points. Scoring for the rest of the team was Carrillo – 16, Howlett – 11, Cooper – 6 (and 8 rebounds), Thompson – 2 (and 5 rebounds).

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Bridport;

Taunton Revolution continued their campaign in the Exeter and district league with an defeat to Bridport. The Revolution had their best start of the season so far despite a depleted squad of only six players due to injury and availability. The Revolution had their running game at full speed in the first quarter going up by 10 points early, but would slow towards the end of the period still finishing slightly ahead. The second session saw Bridport claw their way back slowly taking advantage of their full rotation of players to wear down the visitors. Brett Cooper had a solid first half with 11 points and Jason Kalwa had 13 at the break in his first game of the season for the Taunton side. The Bridport team continued their scoring into the third quarter and never looked back. The Revolution would be outplayed in the fourth quarter with captain Marc Eggleton having a sub par performance which would end with him fouling out of the game early in the fourth. Their were some flashes of good team play but eventually the lack of support from the non-existent bench would prove fatal. Jason Kalwa would spur on a comeback late in the last period but the Revolution would eventually go down 67-73. This left the Revolution Basketball team with some serious thinking to be done, and plenty that needs to be worked on. they are also looking forward to the return of key players to the line up. Scorers on the night were Jason Kalwa 28 (6 steals, 11 rebounds), Brett Cooper 18, Marc Eggleton 12 (6 assists, 6 rebounds), John Lockyer 6 (4 rebounds), Tommy Baker 3 (6 rebounds)

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NOVEMBER 06

Exeter University 1;

Taunton Revolution Basketball bounced back from defeat at Bridport with a narrow 55-53 victory at home to Exeter University 1. The Revolution started well, particularly from the outside with early three pointers from Brett Cooper and captain Marc Eggleton. Despite the University team using their height advantage on the inside and on the boards to stay within reach, they could not contain the home team. The hot shooting slowed at the end of the first quarter, which finished with the Revolution ahead 19-14. The Revolution team team started to rotate their bench in the second quarter with the squad starting to return to full strength. The second period finished with the home team up 35-26 with some significant scoring from the bench. The host side began the second half a little slower and the University side clawed their way back to win the quarter by 6 points and even got their noses in front in the fourth, but the Revolution stayed focussed down the stretch to win the game by two points. Scorers on the night were; Brett Cooper 13, Jason Kalwa 10 (4 rebounds), Jon Howlett 8 (6 rebounds), Marc Eggleton 7 (6 assists, 5 rebounds), Matt Acott 6, Gabriel Carrillo 5 (7 rebounds, 6 steals), Ben Thompson 4 (4 rebounds), John Lockyer 2.

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Exeter University 2;

Taunton Revolution Basketball extended their season to four wins and two losses with a victory over the visiting Exeter Uni 2 team on Monday 20th November. From the outset, the Revolution were determined to improve on their performance last week, which was considered to be a little half hearted in places. The first quarter was played at a reasonably high pace, with the home side converting many of their fast break opportunities, running the Exeter side off the floor at times. At the end of the first session the score was 25-17 in favour of the Revolution. The second period saw the home team continue to take advantage and continue to run at every opportunity. They would outscore their opponents 36-19 in the highest scoring quarter of the season so far. The Revolution took full advantage of their bench, rotating regularly to keep up their energy and intensity throughout the second half, giving their substitutes an opportunity to get involved with significant minutes. The bench would capitalise with players like Tommy Baker scoring 8 points, Matt Acott scoring 11 and Jon Howlett making an impressive 19. The Revolution would outscore the University team in both the third and fourth quarters 23-18 and 26-14 respectively giving an overall result of 110-68. Captain Marc Eggleton returned to form scoring a team high 26 whilst dishing out some great assists along the way. Newcomer Oral Caglar was given his first opportunity to play, and although he did not score he contributed to the teams success with some great rebounding(10) and ball distribution. Ben Thompson achieved team highs with both 9 assists and an impressive 17 rebounds. Scorers on the night were: Marc Eggleton – 26, Brett Cooper – 23, Jon Howlett – 19, Gabriel Carrillo – 17, Matt Acott – 11, Tommy Baker – 8, Ben Thompson – 6.

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Torbay;

Revolution played away on the 30th November against Division One leaders Torbay. After a close game at the beginning of the season which saw the Revolution eventually come up short, the Revolution knew that it would be tough game to play at the Torbay home court, especially as the Revolution are still without their centre John Grounds, and were short of players on the night. From the outset the defence was apparent from both teams, although the Revolution did hit some early three pointers. As the first quarter went on the Revolution struggled to contain the fast break of Torbay, and by the end of the first they were down 12-24. Unfortunately for the Taunton team, they continued to struggle, and had trouble finding a combination of players that could produce consistent scoring, and although they would hold Torbay scoreless for several minutes they couldn’t claw back. At the half they were down big 40-21. In the third quarter the Revolution came out all with some real heart. They played great team defence at the beginning of the session to hold Torbay to just a handful of points, and managed to put some points on the board to mount a furious comeback. With help from Mark Rees who made four three pointers in the quarter, the Revolution would come to within five points, and would have taken the lead if it wasn’t for the problems at the free throw line. Towards the end of the quarter, the lack of depth began to show allowing Torbay some easy scores, and although they would win the quarter 24-15 the Revolution would start the last period down ten points 45-55. Torbay managed to pull themselves back from the third and would outscore the Revolution in the fourth by eight points giving a final score of 54-72 in favour of the Torbay side. The Revolution were plagued with problems at the foul line all night, and gave up a total of 13 points on missed free throws which could have made all the difference down the stretch. Scorers on the night were Mark Rees 15, Jason Kalwa 13 (6 rebounds), Marc Eggleton 7 (6 rebounds / 6 assists), Robin Boult 7 (11 rebounds), Gabriel Carrillo 5 (5 steals), Brett Cooper 4 and Ben Thompson 3. This has left the Taunton team with a real struggle on their hands if they want to be contenders for the Division One title. There also seems to be some commitment issues from key players which left Captain and Club Secretary Marc Eggleton extremely disappointed with some members. If the Revolution want to be in the running in the second half of the season there is some work required over Christmas to re-focus the players and to start playing to their potential.

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DECEMBER 06

Broadclyst;

Taunton Revolution played away on Saturday 16th December to Broadclyst in the Exeter and District League. The Revolution would once again turn up with a depleted squad of only seven with several players either out injured or not reliable. After a close game which they won earlier in the season, it was clear that it was going to be another tightly contested affair. From the outset the Revolution concentrated on their defence and struggled to hit their outside shots. Despite 8 spirited points from Brett Cooper in the first quarter they would go down 19-16. Still playing well below their potential, the Revolution would match their score of 16 in the second quarter, with their captain Marc Eggleton this time contributing 8 of these points. At halftime the score was 32-37 in favour of Broadclyst. In the third quarter the Revolution came out shooting well and shutting down the home side. Once again Marc would step up with some much needed three pointers, making three in the final five minutes of the quarter on his way to 11 points in the session. After a scoring run by Broadclyst, they took back the lead despite the Revolution winning the quarter by 2 points. Once again the Revolution let themselves down at the free throw line only making an abysmal 10 out of 29 missing out on a potential of 19 valuable points during then game. New player Richard Nelsey would supply some much needed size inside for the Revolution, and would finish the game with 25 rebounds along with 17 points. In the fourth a key injury to Brett Cooper would see him sit out the majority of the quarter. In addition to this Captain Marc Eggleton was also grounded with a recurring calf strain problem and in the end the lack of fire power would prove to be the teams weakness, losing the fourth quarter by five points. In the end the Revolution would finish down by 8 points 66-74 and would take their record to 4 wins and 4 losses making them third in the league. Scorers on the night were Marc Eggleton 21 (7 assists and 4 steals), Richard Nelsey 17 (25 rebounds), Brett Cooper 8, Jon Howlett 6(5 rebounds), Tom Baker 6, Ben Thompson 4, Jason Kalwa 4(10 rebounds).

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JANUARY 07

Exeter University 1;

The Revolution travelled away to Exeter University on the 15th January for their first game of the New Year. From the outset Revolution showed good focus, but the younger Uni squad exploited a few lapses on defence and put themselves ahead by a few at the end of the first quarter. Into the second, the Revolution started hitting from the three point line with Brett Cooper and Marc Eggleton contributing from deep. The University kept it close and at the half the Revolution found themselves down by seven 36-43. At the start of the third captain Marc Eggleton set the tone for the offence despite his calf strain, scoring from 2 & 3 point range as well as from the free throw stripe to tie the score. With the Revolution rotating their players, new recruit Davey Roberts would contribute on the boards as well as Oral Caglar making his second appearance for the team. At the end of the third the Revolution remained down by 7 going into the final session. The highlight from the third was centre John Grounds with a stunning low-post spin move off his defender and into the paint for a nice two-handed throw-down. Once again some hot shooting from the outside and work by the big men in the paint would tie the game, and the score stayed within 2 down to the final minutes. Some spirited play from both teams would see the Revolution down by three points with just over 7 seconds left to play, when centre Rich Nelsey was fouled and go to the free throw line. The plan was for Rich to make the first free throw and intentionally miss the second hoping for the rebound and another shot opportunity for the tie or the win. Rich kept up his side of the bargain, making the first and missing the second, but in the closing seconds Revolution were unable to secure the ball and finished down by 2 78-80. Although this spells another defeat for the Revolution things are looking positive for the future. Captain and club secretary Marc Eggleton commented “Our new players have provided us with some great depth, but despite all the talent, we are still learning how to play as a team. As soon as the pieces start coming together, with everyone healthy and the team playing to its potential, we are confident facing any opposition in this league”. Scorers on the night were Rich Nelsey - 25 (15 rebounds), Marc Eggleton - 19 (5 steals, 7 assists), John Grounds - 15 (8 rebounds), Brett Cooper - 12, Davey Roberts - 4, Ben Thomspon - 2 (7 assists), Tommy Baker - 1.

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Torbay;

Taunton Revolution hosted the league leaders Torbay Tigers at Blackbrook on the 22nd January. From the tip off, Torbay were the aggressive team showing their form that has kept them on top of Division One. With 6’ 8” centre John Grounds out again to injury, it was Rich Nelsey starting at centre for the Revolution who scored inside early, but at the end of a low scoring first quarter the Taunton team were down 10-16. In the second the Revolution would step up to take the lead on a three pointer from Captain Marc Eggleton to make the score 24-23. Rich was still playing well at the start of the second quarter, before he was fouled on the way to the basket, turning his ankle in the process. This would see him out for the at least the rest of the game which would prove to be decisive for the home team. With their lack of size inside, the Revolution would be forced to the outside more where the shooters struggled against tough defence. At the half the Revolution were down 26-40 and searching for answers. The rest of the game was more of the same, with the Torbay team playing smart and using their size advantage at every opportunity. One bright spot for the home team however was Oral Caglar coming off the bench for a season high 9 points. In the end the Torbay team were just too much for the depleted Revolution and the final score was 56-84. Scorers on the night – Marc Eggleton 14 (8 rebounds), Brett Cooper 11, Oral Caglar 9, Rich Nelsey 8, Gabriel Carrillo 7 (10 rebounds, 4 assists), Ben Thompson 4 (3 assists, 7 rebounds), Davey Roberts 2 (7 rebounds).

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Exeter Nomads;

Taunton Revolution Basketball played at Exeter Nomads on Sunday 28th January to continue their year in Exeter and District Division One. With their Captain Marc Eggleton suffering from the flu, and key players missing from the line up it was clear that the game would require full focus from all players in attendance. The first quarter began with both teams playing good defence and causing the opposition problems making baskets. At the end of the first session the Revolution were ahead by a point. In the second, the tempo picked up in places, but with the Revolution frontline struggling, the Nomads took advantage of some turnovers by the Taunton side to get their break going. At the end of the half the score was in favour of the Exeter team 33 to 26. In the third and fourth quarters things got worse for the Revolution. With two quarters plagued by turnovers, the Revolution dug themselves further behind. With main scoring threats ailing, it should have been a chance for different players on the team to step up and take up the slack, but unfortunately this was not the case, and despite a push late in the game the Revolution would finish 45-66 down at the final whistle. Scorers were; Jason Kalwa 13, Marc Eggleton 7(8 rebounds), Gabriel Carrillo 6, John Grounds 6 (11 rebounds), Brett Cooper 4, Shaun Holmes 4, Ben Thompson 3 (3 steals), Tom Baker 2.

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FEBRUARY 07


Broadclyst (Cup Match);

Taunton Revolution travelled to Broadclyst on Saturday 3rd February for the first round of the Men's Cup against a team that they had beaten previously, and that also beaten them this year. With both big men Grounds and Nelsey available for the game for only the second time this season, the Revolution knew if they maintained their focus throughout they were in with a good chance. Some great ball movement early from the Revolution guards helped to open up the middle for the big guys, and with the Taunton team playing some smart basketball they were able to stay in the game. Some hot shooting from the Broadclyst team ion the first half would challenge the Revolution to keep up, which they did with key scoring from Nelsey inside and captain Marc Eggleton from three point range. The lead would change hands several times during the first two quarters, but the Broadclyst team always seemed to be able to edge ahead when it mattered. At halftime the Revolution were down by only a few, 32-35. In the third quarter both teams were playing aggressive defence, which meant the scoring slowed down slightly. The Revolution would start final quarter down by only four points 47-51. In the final quarter Revolution captain Marc Eggleton would keep the Taunton side in the game with several key baskets to spur on a run. With about 40 seconds left in the quarter and the Taunton team down by two points, Marc would take the ball to the basket to tie the game forcing an overtime period. In the overtime however, the Broadclyst team really started to tighten up giving the Revolution a difficult time. With Grounds fouling out late in the game Broadclyst used their size advantage to eventually win the game 60-68. The performance of the Revolution was however very encouraging. They showed some great team play and crisp passing, which has been lacking of late, throughout the game. Scores and stats on the night were; Marc Eggleton 26 (6 rebounds, 4 assists), Rich Nelsey 13 (15 rebounds), Brett Cooper 8 (4 rebounds, 3 assists), John Grounds 5 (11 rebounds), Ben Thompson 4 (5 assists, 5 steals) Shaun Holmes 4.

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Exeter University 1;

Revolution travelled away to Exeter to play the University 1st team for the last time this season. The Revolution was back to almost full strength following recent injury and illness woes, and the Taunton team were confident their depth could be the deciding factor in the game. The Revolution side were straight out of the gates from the opening tip, going up by 10 points at one stage in the first quarter and running the home team off the floor. Big man John Grounds would show some dominating play inside and displayed his shooting touch giving him 10 points in the first six minutes of the game. John would be on his way to a game high and season high of 29 points. This allowed the Revolution to rotate the bench players early and give the starting five a rest at times. This pattern continued into the second quarter, but the Exeter team started to score with more consistency. By the end of the half the University side had taken the lead by two points and the score was 35-37 in their favour. In the first few minutes of the quarter, guard Marc Eggleton would hit consecutive three pointers, giving the Taunton team the lead back. The Revolution bench would play an integral part in the game, and although they sometimes didn’t score as easily as the first five players, their contribution on defence and rebounding really spurred on the Taunton squad. The final quarter would start with the score close, 55-54 in favour of Taunton. The Revolution really stepped up on defence in the fourth, where despite the Exeter team hitting some tough shots and actually taking the lead at one point, the Revolution would eventually win the quarter holding the Exeter side to only 11 points in the last 10 minutes. The Revolution would take the game 73-65. It was a great team effort from everyone, and it was very positive to see the Revolution team healthy again. They hope to carry this momentum into the plate competition which continues later this month and into March. Scorers on the night were as follows; John Grounds 29 (10 rebounds), Marc Eggleton 13 (6 assists, 5 steals, 3 blocks), Rich Nelsey 11 (13 rebounds), Brett Cooper 8 (5 rebounds), Gabriel Carrillo 4, John Howlett 3 (5 rebounds), Oral Caglar 2, Ben Thompson 1 (5 assists).

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Bridport;

Taunton Revolution played host to Bridport on Monday 19th Feb at Blackbrook Pavilion in Taunton. The Revolution were able to get off to a good start and used their tandem of big men John Grounds and Rich Nelsey to establish a good inside presence; these two would finish with a combined score of 42. The Taunton team also used their running game early and ended the first quarter slightly ahead 20-17. In the second quarter Bridport came out making some tough shots, and the Revolution side let off the gas a little on offence. Taunton did take advantage of their depth on the bench to keep the players fresh, but at halftime Bridport had pulled it back to get their noses ahead 35-37. The first few minutes of the third quarter would be crucial if the Revolution were to get back on track. Once again they had their running game going, with a great game, in particular a great third quarter for guard Ben Thompson. Ben helped the Revolution win the third by three points with some great scoring, and by the end of the game he would also find time for 7 assists and 8 rebounds! Going into the final session the Revolution were up by one 61-60. The fourth quarter would see the Revolution step up in every aspect of the game. They showed great patience on offence scoring when it mattered, and played tough defence to keep Bridport at bay. In a close game throughout, Taunton managed to give themselves a reasonably comfortable lead with the clock winding down in the final minutes. The Revolution would also show some vastly improved shooting from the foul line and make Bridport pay for putting them at the stripe. In the end Taunton kept the Bridport team behind them and would take the game by five 82-77. The Revolution showed some really encouraging teamwork on offence, with everyone contributing well. Stats on the night were as follows; John Grounds – 21 (18 rebounds, 3 blocks), Rich Nelsey – 21 (16 rebounds), Marc Eggleton – 13 (7 assists, 5 rebounds), Ben Thompson - 12 (8 rebounds, 7 assists), Jon Howlett – 7, Brett Cooper – 4, Gabriel Carrillo – 4.

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Exeter University 2;

Taunton Revolution Basketball hosted the Exeter Uni 2 team on Monday 26th Feb hoping to increase their recent winning streak of games. The Revolution team started fairly slowly but under control, using their size advantage inside with John Grounds scoring with relative ease, but the team still lacked any real intensity. At the end of the first quarter the score was too close for comfort at 20-17. In the second quarter the Taunton team began to exploit their opponents using their defence to create turnovers which spurred on their running game. Their tough D held the younger Uni team to just 7 points in the second quarter where the Revolution scored 24. In the third quarter it was more of the same with the Revolution getting out on the break at every opportunity, usually with the ball ending up in guard Brett Coopers hands for easy lay ups. At the half the Revolution were up big, 44-24. In the third quarter the Revolution side would step up their offence even further, holding the Exeter side to 12 points they would score 28. With everyone contributing the Revolution would see themselves way out in front going into the fourth 72-37. In the fourth quarter the Taunton team continued to pile on the pressure and score at nearly every opportunity. Guard Marc Eggleton would save his best for the last quarter where he chipped in with 11 of his game, season and career high of 37 points which included 7 from down town. The Exeter team would also have their best quarter with 21 points, but it was too little too late for the visitors. With five Revolutions players in double figure scoring, and three players with 20 or over, they were no match for the younger and relatively inexperienced Exeter team. The final score was 107-58. Stats as follows; Marc Eggleton 37 (12 assists, 4 steals), John Grounds 20 (8 rebounds, 4 blocks), Brett Cooper 21 (4 assists, 4 steals), Gabriel Carrillo 12 (6 steals, 10 rebounds), Jon Howlett 13 (9 rebounds), Oral Caglar 4 (8 rebounds), Ben Thompson (7 assists, 5 steals, 8 rebounds).

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MARCH 07


Broadclyst 2nd's (Plate Semi Final);

Taunton Revolution travelled to Exeter to play the Broadclyst Bullets in the semi final of the Exeter and District plate championship on the 4th March. The Revolution were confident from the outset, however the Broadclyst side managed to get off to a better start going up by six points early. The Revolution team started to pull their offence back into shape after their slow start, and started to hit threes with Marc Eggleton, Ben Thompson and Brett Cooper connecting from long range to spur a comeback in the first quarter. In the second quarter the Revolution never looked back and turned up the heat on offence. At the half time break the Taunton team had worked up to a 54-31 lead. The third quarter gave more of the same to the helpless Broadclyst team. All of the Revolution players took it in turns to step up, and they played some great team basketball on offence as well as on defence. Big man in the middle Rich Nelsey would finish the game with a team high score of 28 points to go along with his 18 rebounds and 3 blocks, filling it up in the middle with his opposite John Grounds struggling early with an injured hand. Brett Cooper would also have a well balanced game on offence and defence, with 23 points and 5 steals in the game. By the time the final buzzer sounded, the Revolution had completed their quest to reach the finals by sweeping the Broadclyst team to one side 105-69. Five Revolution players finished in double figure scoring, with the final stats as follows; Rich Nelsey – 28 (18 rebounds), Brett Cooper - 23 (5 steals), Gabriel Carrilllo – 17 (5 rebounds, 3 steals), Marc Eggleton – 15 (8 assists, 5 rebounds), Ben Thompson – 10 (5 steals, 4 rebounds), Oral Caglar – 8 (5 rebounds), John Grounds – 4 (6 rebounds, 2 blocks).

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Exeter Nomads;

The Taunton Revolution travelled to Exeter on the 11th March to play the Nomads for the final time this season. Both teams had a victory over the other so far this year, so a close and exciting game was expected and indeed delivered. The Revolution came out focussed, despite slightly being short on their usual rotation of players. Taunton took an early lead in the beginning of this physical contest, but the Nomads would make a push towards the end of the first quarter and the score at the end of one was 20-18 in favour of the Revolution. The second quarter would see the Taunton lads pull out to a bit of a lead. Big man Rich Nelsey who had a great game for the Revolution established himself inside early and often, using his size to dominate, particularly on the boards where he finished with 23 rebounds in the game. In the second quarter Gabriel Carrillo did his damage on the fast break, finishing off some great team play, despite a collision with a Nomads player which left him with a cut on his head that was left bandaged for the remainder of the game so he could play on. At half time the Revolution had stretched their lead to 45-34. In the third quarter the gritty Nomads came out with some real purpose and used their energy to pull right back. The Taunton team saw their lead slipping away. Shaun Holmes hit some key baskets coming off the bench with 8 points, and although Nomads did edge out in front for a short spell Taunton would go into the fourth quarter up by 2 points. Down the stretch Jason Kalwa and Captain Marc Eggleton would hit some much needed baskets keeping the game close, and Nomads matched the Revolution for every basket. The lead would change hands several times during the final minutes, but with Rich in the middle for the Revolution working hard on the boards the Nomads were denied any second chance points. In the last 1:30 of the game, Eggleton would hit two free throws to give the Taunton side the lead by a point which was quickly followed by a basket from the Nomads. Jason Kalwa then took the ball to the basket to put Taunton up again by one. The game came down to the final possession where Nomads had a chance to in at the buzzer but missed the final shot. In the end Taunton Revolution pulled off a fantastic win by a single point 82-81. Scorers and stats; Gabriel Carrillo 20 (4 rebounds), Rich Nelsey – 18 (23 rebounds, 4 steals), Jason Kalwa 17 (5 rebounds), Marc Eggleton 14 (7 steals, 4 assists), Shaun Holmes 8 (6 rebounds), Ben Thompson 5 (8 rebounds, 6 assists).

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Plate Final - Bridport;

Taunton Revolution travelled down to Exeter for the Finals of the Plate Competition on Sunday March 18th to play against Bridport. After making a three pointer in the first minute of the game the Revolution struggled on offence, and Bridport were able to gain the advantage early. Towards the end of the first quarter Jon Howlett would come off the bench with some much needed scoring. The first quarter would see five of the Revolution players get on the scoreboard, but Howlett led the charge with 7 points in the final few minutes of the first tying up the score at 16 a piece. In the second both teams came out with more intensity; neither team could gain the advantage, and the lead changed hands several times before the Taunton team edged forward. Gabriel Carrillo stepped up scoring 8 points and Howlett chipped in with another 7. at the half the Revolution were up 41-38. In the decisive third quarter, the Revolution knew this was where the game could be won, or lost. Taunton would see even more of their players stepping up at different times; Jason Kalwa scored 9 points in the third and centre John Grounds became assertive inside with 6 points. Spurred on by their supporters who had made the journey to the game, Taunton outscored the Bridport team by 6 points extended their lead to nine going into the fourth. In the final session Bridport would charge back from a 10 point deficit with less than two minutes left, helped by three clutch three pointers, which would bring the game within reach. Some tough baskets from Shaun Holmes for Taunton helped to temporarily keep Bridport at bay, but they managed to tie the game with seconds left on the clock to force an overtime session. The Revolution were left wondering how it had slipped away, and started the five minute extra session tied at 85-85. In overtime The Revolution would simply not be denied. Grounds stepped up again with big offensive and defensive plays inside, and Howlett again rose to the occasion with 5 much needed points. With about 20 seconds left and the score tied at 98, Grounds stepped to the free throw line and calmly sank both free shots to give Taunton a lead of 2. Grounds then grabbed the defensive rebound from Bridport’s final attempt to tie the game and secured the win 100-98. The game was the best that anyone could hope for in a finals competition, and both teams played with a great spirit. The Revolution proved how far they have come this season despite roster and injury problems, and have now bounced back from a losing streak in the middle of the season to string together six victories including this inspiring performance. With only two games left this year the Division title is now just out of reach, but this win is certainly something that every player and supporter of the club can be proud of. Stats on the night as follows; Jon Howlett - 23, Jason Kalwa – 20 (6 rebounds), John Grounds – 18 (13 rebounds, 5 blocks), Marc Eggleton – 13 (10 assists, 6 rebounds), Gabriel Carrillo – 10 (4 steals), Brett Cooper – 9 (5 assists), Shaun Holmes – 5 (5 rebounds), Ben Thompson – 2 (4 rebounds).

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Bridport;

Revolution hosted Bridport in the Exeter & District league on Monday 26th March. In their final meeting of the season, these two teams were fighting for second place in league division one. After beating Bridport by two points last week in the finals, a close game was anticipated. Bridport came out straight from the tip wasting no time, and were scoring big early. Bridport simply dominated the Revolution with their outside shooting, and the Revolution struggled to put the ball in the basket. At the end of one quarter the home team were down big 16-32. Things only got worse in the second quarter, and the away team continued to shoot well from all angles. The Revolution started to gain some momentum towards half time break with Gabriel Carrillo leading Taunton with 16 points by halftime, but they were still behind 42-65 at the break. The third started slowly for Taunton, and the Revolution found themselves down by nearly 30 points after a few minutes. Then, with little warning they decided enough was enough. Showing some great shooting and tough defence of their own for the remainder of the quarter, Taunton would win the third quarter by 7 points, giving themselves a shot to pull back in the fourth. Taunton carried their quality play over into the final quarter, and managed to pull the game all the way back to within a handful of points with a few minutes left. Jon Howlett would step up his game inside big throughout the second half where he finished strong in the low post as well as on the break with some great assists from Ben Thompson. The Revolution worked all the way back to actually take the lead on a basket from Carrillo with about 35 seconds left in the game. Bridport failed to connect on their next offence, and the Revolution were up by one with the ball in their hands with 28 seconds left in the game. On the next offence however, a careless turnover gave the ball back to Bridport where they were fouled with 8 seconds left, making both free throws to go up by one. Taunton had one final shot as the clock expired to go for the win, but unfortunately were unable to score and Bridport managed to get retribution for Sundays finals loss to the Revolution taking the game by one point 94-95. The Revolution showed unbelievable heart and determination to get themselves all the way back from a huge third quarter deficit, but Bridport played a good came and came out with a well deserved win. This would end the Revolution’s current winning streak. Scorers were Carrillo with 28(8 rebounds), Howlett 26(7 rebounds), Grounds 21(19 rebounds), Eggleton 15(4 assists, 6 rebounds), Thompson 2(8 rebounds), Caglar 2.

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Broadclyst Bandits;

Taunton Revolution went down 79-59 against Broadclyst in the final game of the 2007 season. Broadclyst connected from the three point line early and often on offence as the Taunton side struggled to get going and had to work hard for their points. Taunton were a little lathargic at both ends of the court as the wear and tear of the season took it's toll. At the end of the first the score was 13-16 in favour of Broadclyst. The second started more positively as the Revolution closed the gap, but the revival did not last as Broadclyst took advantage of some lapses on the defensive end to take a 27-37 lead. In the third it was make or break time for the home team, They began to get their running game going in places, but each time they threatened to get close Broadclyst composed themselves, showing why they are one of the top teams in the league. After a disappointing second half on the whole, Broadclyst were able to keep Taunton at a comfortable margin and finished the game on top. Scorers on the night were Eggleton 21(7 assists), Cooper 15, Nelsey 12(14 rebounds), Grounds 6(7 rebounds), Carrillo 3, Evans 2.

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