SEPTEMBER 08

Newton Abbot - Friendly

Revolution organised a pre-season friendly game against Devon based Newton Abbot so they could have a run out and try some things they had worked on in practice. The aim here was for the players and coach to see what combinations worked, how some of the new players could fit in during game situations, and to give everyone an equal amount of court time if possible. Positives were newcomer Paul Crawford who did a great job in his first organised game. Murray Heath also showed signs he would be able to fit the teams' style. Andy Herbert provided some good play at the guard spot, and inside 'Mattinator' Maciek and Ben Williams quickly showed they would be assets to the team. On the whole the game was very low scoring, and some of the more experienced players on the team were slow to adjust to their new team mates.

Newton Abbot had some good quick players and some good shooters,  and to be fair they did play a consistent game. The Revolution would eventually come out of the game losing 47-56 and there were many positives and some negatives to take from the loss. Coach Shane Johnston was not concerned with the points, and the main aim was to look at the bigger picture. Scorers on the night were; Ben Williams 9 (2 assists), Marc Eggleton 8 (3 assists, 3 steals), Rich Nelsey 8 (12 reb's), Ben Thompson 6 (6 reb's), Andy Herbert 5 (2 assists, 2 steals), Matt Acott 4, Paul Crawford 4, Maciek F 3 (6 reb's, 3 blocks)

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OCTOBER 08

Torbay Away

Taunton Revolution Basketball travelled down to Torbay for the first match of the season on Thursday 2nd October. Torbay are always tough at home, and the Revolution came out a little slow at the start. Captain Marc Eggleton connected early from the 3 point line to keep Taunton in the game, however the Revolution offence looked a little static at times and Torbay’s defence made scoring difficult. Towards the end of the first half the Revolution showed some real heart and pulled the game within 6 points, boosted by 17 first half points from their Captain. Entering the third quarter the score was 30-36 in favour of the home side. In the third Torbay kept the Revolution at bay by changing up their defensive strategy. Torbay clamped down on the inside, crowding big man Rich Nelsey and making scoring opportunities hard work. On the outside, Torbay aimed to stop the outside scoring of Eggleton, which they succeeded in doing for much of the second half.

Revolution Coach Shane Johnston searched for a combination of players that could work against Torbay, but it just wasn’t happening on the night. After a final push going into the fourth quarter, and some encouraging team play at times from Taunton, the lead was just too much to overcome down the stretch. All Revolution players contributed positive things to the game, however at times the Taunton team lacked any real scoring consistency which is something that needs to be worked on. New players Paul Crawford and Maciek impressed their team mates, showing great promise despite limited minutes of action. The final score was 55-73 to Torbay. Scorers & Stats; Marc Eggleton 22 (5 steals), Rich Nelsey 12 (14 reb's), Ben Williams 7, Shaun Holmes 5 (3 steals), Ben Thompson 4, Maciek 3, Matt Acott 2, Paul Crawford (2 steals, 1 block), Paul Glaeser (4 reb's, 3 assists).

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Bridport Home

Taunton Revolution’s season continued on Monday 20th October with their first home game against Bridport. Taunton fielded a full team of 12 hoping to make use of a strong bench against the travelling Bridport side. The home side were well supported and grateful for the extra noise from the sidelines, lifting the nervous players on the warm evening. The starting five showed excellent control of the game from the tip off, dominating Bridport in an impressive 20 point unbeaten scoring run. Ben Williams seemed unstoppable, consistently driving to the basket for lay ups over and around the smaller Bridport defence.

The score relaxed the rest of the team allowing for straightforward accurate passes to cut open Bridport, going forward and gave Revolution time to regroup with a sturdy defence. Richard Nelsey's height gave him a good advantage, which he duly pressed home, collecting rebound after rebound on offence and defence. Captain, Marc Eggleton, confidently took on 3 point attempts sinking 2 during the first half of the game. The second quarter saw opportunities for Revolution coach Shane Johnston to give some new players from the bench a run, comfortable with a substantial lead. There were strong displays from Matt Acott playing point guard, who followed his captains lead, sinking two 3 point attempts and Murray Heath, who despite his height at the guard spot, chased rebounds and saved two out of bound balls to help Revolution keep their advantage. Bridport regained some composure off the back of an outrageous sky hook by there big man which saw applause from both sides, but couldn’t do anything about the 20 point deficit at half-time.

Revolution seemed to relax in the second half, coasting on their point advantage, allowing Bridport some good possession and scoring opportunities. This didn’t overshadow a great team performance from Revolution with all the players showing good promise for the rest of the season. The final score 85 – 65 to Taunton Revolution. Scores and stats – Williams 20 (5 assists), Nelsey 17 (16 reb’s), Eggleton 15 (4 steals), Grounds 14 (10 reb’s, 2 blocks), Acott 10, Evans 4, Salvidge 2, Glaeser 2 (7 reb’s), Maciek 1, Crawford (6 reb’s), Heath (5 reb’s), Thompson (2 reb’s, 2 assists).

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NOVEMBER 08

Bridport Away

Taunton Revolution got off to a sluggish start in their game against Bridport on Sunday evening. The weather and distance to the away team conspired against them. The muddy footprints leading onto the court seemed like a bad start and Taunton did little to settle their nerves in the first quarter trailing by 9 points 24–15. Despite a strong performance again from Richard Nelsey, Taunton’s big man in the middle, Revolution did nothing to alleviate the deficit and came off the court at half time trailing by 20 points. Taunton relied too much on shooting outside shots for 3 points and although they were welcome when they came, Marc Eggleton and Matt Acott finding their range, there was no sense of purpose or penetration on offence and the defence seemed to let Bridport’s two star players in on every drive.

Taunton struggled through the second half of the match and even though at times managed to get themselves within 10 points, Bridport were able to pull away again finishing the match 90–56. Probably one of their worst results to date and against a team they beat at home only two weeks ago. Taunton will certainly be looking to improve when they meet tougher opposition later on in the season. Scorers and stats - Marc Eggleton 12 (5 assists), Matt Acott 9, Rich Nelsey 16 (13 reb's), Ben Thompson 7 (4 reb's), Andy Herbert 8 (3 assists), Steve Evans - 2, Paul Glaeser - 2, Tim Salvidge  - 2.

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Broadclyst Home

Taunton hosted the Broadclyst team for the first time this season on the 24th November. Expecting a tough game against the sizeable Devon team, Taunton once again failed to come out with any real focus. With one of their key weapons Rich Nelsey struggling with a knee injury and some other aches and pains in the squad, Taunton did little to stem the tide of Ashley Crispin early, who was hot from the outside. Stew Law played well early on for Taunton but at the end of the first quarter the score was 18-23. Taunton managed to slow down the Broadclyst team in the second session, but still failed to make a run of their own, and at the half this low scoring affair was 31-35 despite Captain Marc Eggleton hitting three out of three from long range.

In the third things started to fall apart for Taunton. with a single digit quarter at the offensive end, they really struggled to make easy points giving the visitors some breathing space. Despite some great play from John Grounds and rich in the middle, Taunton still couldn't contain Broadclyst. The game ended badly with Taunton slowly running out of steam down the stretch. The final count was a 20 point loss 53-73. Scorers and stats - John Grounds 11, Stew Law 10, Rich Nelsey 10 (11 reb's), Marc Eggleton 9 (5 steals), Ben Thompson 7, Murray Heath 2, Matt Acott 2.

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Nomads Away

The Revolution travelled down to Exeter College to face a young Nomads team on the 23rd November who had yet to win their first game this season. Taunton started strong with Paul Glaeser connecting early to give Taunton the lead, but then once again they slowed down and allowed Nomads easy scores. This wasn't helped by their big centre Rich Nelsey out for a few months with his knee injury and other centre John Grounds also unavailable for the next few outings. Points were generally hard to come by early and with the Nomads finding confidence early, Taunton found they were at the wrong end of 12-18 at the end of one. The second quarter carried the Nomads' momentum along, and although Marc Eggleton was making a superb effort at the defensive end, finishing the game with 4 steals and 3 blocked shots, Taunton generally found the Nomads too much at times. With Taunton rotating the bench searching for a combination, the Nomads had their first victory in sight and were not going to give up the lead. With a second half just as disappointing as the first, there were some signs of great team basketball at times from Taunton but generally they lacked the experience, effort, and the drive to pull the game out.

Another tough loss 57-93 which leaves the Revolution to do some real soul searching. Scorers and stats - Marc Eggleton 13 (6 assists, 4 steals, 7 reb's, 3 blocks) Ben Williams 10 (6 reb's), Ben Thompson 9, Paul Glaeser 9 (7 reb's), Shaun Holmes 7, Paul Crawford 5 (12 reb's), Steve Evans 3, Murray Heath 2.

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Torbay Home

Taunton played host to Torbay on the 24th November. Even with some tired legs on the Taunton team following the game the day before, Taunton managed to come out with some good energy early against the strong Torbay side. Their hustling defence and activity managed to hold the Torbay team to a low score, but Taunton couldn't score consistently themselves meaning although they were still in the game they were a little behind. Taunton's effort at the defensive end was lead by Captain Marc Eggleton chasing and scrapping for the ball and managing four first half blocks, but by the time the first half had ended there was a little distance between the teams at 20-37 in favour of Torbay. Things went from bad to worse for Taunton in the third quarter where not only did the offence still look sluggish, but their effort on defence started to decline.

With two three pointers by their Captain Marc Eggleton and one from guard Matt Acott, this would be almost all of the teams points for the final quarter. Torbay played well and kept up the pressure and showed real intensity, and a desire to send a message to Taunton, their league rivals from seasons gone by. At the end the game was an extremely one in many ways and the Taunton team knew that they had to change. the final score reflected one of the worst games in club history 31-75. scorers and stats - Marc Eggleton 11 (4 steals, 4 blocks, 5 reb's), Matt Acott 9 (5 reb's, 3 assists), Stew Law 4 (6 reb's), Ben Thompson 3, Shaun Holmes 3, Maciek 2, Paul Crawford (9 reb's).

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Nomads Away

Based on the previous games, this one had to be the turning point for the club; they needed to come out strong and play together to pull out of the slump of the last month. In the first quarter Taunton managed to gain the advantage with some great defensive plays leading to easy fast break scores, something that has been missing lately. Ben Thompson connected early to give the Revolution a boost, and Ben Williams would be consistent keeping the Nomads defence guessing. Guards Matt Acott and Marc Eggleton controlled the offence and distributed well to give Revolution a slight advantage at the half.

In the third and fourth quarters, Taunton would withstand several runs from the younger Nomads, where they took the lead at one point. However some determined inside play from Williams and Thompson, supported with good shooting from 'Skip' Holmes and Captain Eggleton would keep them at bay. In the end a total team performance would be the difference, and Revolution pulled off a much needed win 75-63. stats and Scorers - Thompson 21 (7 reb's), Williams 20 (7 reb's), Eggleton 11 (9 steals, 8 assists), Holmes 11 (5 reb's, 4 steals), Acott 8 (6 reb's), Glaeser 4 (6 reb's), Evans 4 reb's, Heath 3 reb's.

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DECEMBER 08

Exeter University Home

Taunton would play an undefeated Exeter Uni side on the 8th December at Blackbrook Pavilion. The Uni team were noticeably strong as their perfect record would indicate, but the Revolution were still confident that their improving team concept would keep them in the running. As the game began Taunton shocked the Uni side by taking the lead and playing great team ball. Still without key players in the line up, and some in the game with nagging injuries, Taunton showed some real heart matching the Uni side basket for basket. Captain Marc Eggleton lead the scoring charge hitting on his three's while Matt Acott would be close behind.

It would be a game dominated by shooting and guard play due to the lack of size for Taunton, however Crawford and Maciek would provide a good presence off the bench. As the game wound down, Exeter showed why they are a strong team and took advantage of some errors from Taunton to take the lead by a few points. Still not out of it, Taunton stayed strong down the stretch but as fatigue became a factor Uni took control and would take the game by only 9 points, one of their closest games of the year. The Taunton team could have really been helped by another player or two on the roster or some more experience in the middle. Scorers and Stats - Eggleton 20 (3 assists, 2 blocks), Thompson 11 (5 assists), Acott 10, Law 6, Crawford 3 (8 reb's), Holmes 2 (6 reb's), Maciek 6 reb's, Glaeser 5 reb's, Evans 2 reb's.

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Bridport - Cup Semi Final Away

Taunton Revolution braved the long, icy-cold journey to Bridport on Thursday 11th December to face a team that had them beaten by nearly 20 points only weeks before. It was also the first round of the cup and neither team wanted to face an early exit, increasing the tension in front of a partisan crowd. Revolution fell victims to their nerves again in the first quarter with strong attacking from Bridport putting them down by 11 points. Bridport took excellent shooting opportunities, ensuring time and space for their key men. Revolution’s defence struggled to produce the excellent form of previous games and seemed to fall apart slightly. Their offence tried to keep pace and 3 points from their Captain Marc Eggleton kept them in touch, just before he was grounded for the rest of the match with an injury.

The second quarter was a bit more positive from Revolution with Shaun ‘Skip’ Holmes driving strongly to the hoop and the defence starting to work, they managed to win this quarter by 2 points but still leaving themselves a lot to do in the second half down 9. The third proved to be another tense and nervy quarter for Revolution and in an attempt to put some more points on the board, they failed to deal with a strong response from Bridport. The home team kept Revolution at bay until the start of the final quarter when the visitors, lead by some frantic vocal support from the bench started to shut down Bridport’s key players. Revolution continued to press forward and with a minute left to play trailed by 1 point. Matt Acott took a long drive to the hoop on his own, scoring an excellent lay-up leaving Revolution in front for the first time all match with only 40 seconds left to play.

Bridport came down court and turned the ball over because of a great charge taken by Stephen Evans. This would leave Revolution to play out the clock, and despite Bridport securing the ball and having one chance in the finals seconds, Revolution's defence stayed strong to take the victory by a point 83-82. Scorers and stats - Holmes 22 (4 assists, 8 reb's), Williams 19 (4 reb's), Acott 17 (3 assists), Thompson 16 (8 steals), Eggleton 3, Crawford 2 (8 reb's), Glaeser 2 (7 reb's), Law 2.

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JANUARY 09

Nomads Home

Taunton Revolution hosted the Exeter Nomads at Blackbrook Pavilion on the 12th Jan in their first game of the New Year. In the first few minutes the points were hard to come by for both teams. Once the game settled it was pretty close. Ben Williams would help keep Taunton in the running with 4 points in the quarter, helped along with 5 from Captain Marc Eggleton, however the Nomads would edge ahead before the buzzer to finish the first up by one 16-17. In the second session Taunton seemed to struggle at times on defence. Nomads seemed too often to easily beat the zone and find scoring opportunities. Following a 10-0 run by Exeter, Taunton would regain their focus and make a 9-0 run of their own, carried by Matt Acott with 5 points including one off a stunning pass by Murray Heath.

At the half the score was 29-27 in favour of Taunton. In the third quarter Revolution came out strong once again, but at times their defence would again allow too many easy scores. At one point Nomads would rally and produce an 11-0 run pulling the game back. At the end of the third a nice 3 pointer from Matt Acott at the buzzer would pull the Revolution back to a four point deficit 43-47. The Revolution knew the first few minutes of the fourth would be crucial. With Paul Crawford and Paul Glaeser working hard on the boards, and some impressive drives by Shaun ‘Skip’ Holmes, Taunton would pull the game back. With a chance to tie the game at 51, Holmes would go to the free throw line for a potential 3 point play only to miss the free throw, which was something Taunton really hurt themselves with all night. Ben Thompson, although struggling with his shot, kept hustling on defence and finished with 8 steals.

Despite Captain Marc Eggleton hitting another one of his game high five 3 pointers on only 8 attempts, and the block of the night from new player Maciek, Taunton couldn’t stay strong in the middle, and following a spate of turnovers and missed opportunities they would be scoreless for the final minutes of the quarter. Meanwhile Nomads would capitalise and produce a 10-0 scoring run. The result would be a disappointing loss 53-67. Scorers and stats – Eggleton 19 (3 assist, 3 steals), Acott 12 (4 reb’s), Holmes 9 (7 reb’s), Williams 4 (4 assist), Crawford 4 (8 reb’s, 4 steals), Glaeser 2 (7 reb’s), Heath 2, Thompson 1 (8 steals).

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Bridport Home

Taunton Revolution hosted Bridport on the 19th Jan. From the tip, Taunton showed real focus, determined to put recent scoring troubles behind them. The starting five dominated the game in all facets and Revolution finished the first quarter with a 28-15 lead. By half time, Rich Nelsey accumulated 19 points & 10 rebounds, Captain Marc Eggleton connected on 3 out of 6 from 3 point land, Ben Thompson would pull down 6 rebounds and Paul Crawford would be strong off the bench with 4 rebounds / two blocks. Matt Acott consistently took the ball through the Bridport defence making 16 points on impressive drives. Bridport relied upon their shooter Sorrell who took most of their shots, connecting on 7 three’s by halftime.

In the second half, Taunton used the comfortable lead to use their depth off the bench. Murray Heath would support at the guard spot with Steve Evans who both made valuable contributions in their minutes. Big men Crawford and Maciek would also show some good inside play. Jon Lockyer also came off the pine to hit valuable shots in limited time. Eggleton stayed hot throughout the game, picking his moments and finding the net on 6 out of 10 three’s and Ben Thompson would reel in 10 rebounds. Following a great team effort sparked by some strong individual performances, the game was a comfortable victory for Taunton. The Revolution cut down on their turnovers, made a good percentage of shots and dominated on the boards 62 to 35 to coast to a 91-59 win.

Stats – Nelsey 27 (22 reb’s), Eggleton 22 (2 blocks), Acott 16 (6 assist), Crawford 6 (9 reb’s), Evans 5, Lockyer 4, Holmes 4, Maciek 4, Glaeser 2, Thompson 1 (10 reb’s), Heath (3 assist).

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Exeter Uni (Cup Semi Final)

Taunton Revolution would play an undefeated Exeter Uni side on Sunday 25th Jan in the Cup Semi Final. With several Taunton unavailable or injured, it would fall to a skeleton squad of only 7 players to give it their all. From the tip, Taunton failed to slow down Uni and in the opening minutes found themselves down 14-2. Taunton bounced back with strong, scrappy defence and good ball movement and pulled within reach late in the second quarter. Centre Nelsey improved inside as the game went on, and strong drives from ‘Skip’ Holmes pulled Taunton close.

Uni responded, making a run despite huge efforts from Taunton. At halftime the score was 51-40 to Exeter. Uni again took advantage of a slow Taunton start after the break and piled on the points. Breaking the scoring drought, Captain Marc Eggleton would sink one of his 4 three’s, and consistent scoring from Matt Acott would keep Taunton within reach down the stretch. In the last quarter, some fantastic play between Acott and Nelsey would pull the Exeter defence apart, but it wasn’t enough to overcome the lead. Taunton consistently failed to capitalise at the free throw line, which would prove costly, missing 17 potential points from the 'charity stripe'.

All Taunton players made a valuable contribution and did the team proud, but in the end the league leaders played well and took the win by twelve 76-89. Scorers & Stats: Acott – 23 (6 reb's), Nelsey - 19 (16 reb's), Eggleton - 12 (7 steals), Thompson – 8 (5 reb's), Holmes - 8, Maciek - 4 (5 reb's), Heath - 2 (3 reb's).

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FEBRUARY

Exeter Uni Away

Taunton would once again face the youth of Exeter Uni in their second match up of the regular season. Revolution came out firing with Captain Marc Eggleton, Shaun Holmes and Ben Thompson connecting from long range giving them an early lead. The Uni stayed tough and stayed within reach. Part way through the first quarter an injury and scoring woes for Taunton would allow the Uni to score easily, getting them a lead going into the second. Unfortunately for Taunton things didn't improve towards half time. Solid play from Rich Nelsey in the middle helped, and Holmes made some impressive drives, but the Uni scoring was proving too much.

With Captain Marc Eggleton attempting to play through injury and noticeably off his game, Taunton struggled at times to maintain their focus. Good performances off the bench from Paul Crawford and Maciek supported Rich Nelsey, and Ben Thompson stayed consistent throughout the match. But in the end the regular scorers for Taunton were unable to produce when it mattered, and Uni would coast to an easy win, 70-94.

Scorers and Stats - Thompson 18 (5 reb's), Nelsey 15 (8 reb's), Holmes 15, Maciek 6 (4 reb's), Eggleton 5, Gray 4 (7 reb's), Evans 4, Acott 2, Crawford 1 (2 blocks).

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Broadclyst Away

In the first away trip to Broadclyst Taunton were again low on players due to injuries, and expecting a physical game from the Broadclyst team. The game started slowly with both teams playing tough and imposing defence. Matt Acott would get the Revolution off to a hot start with some great shooting, helped along by Marc Eggleton at the other guard spot. Rich Nelsey would find times hard in the middle with the physical play, and couldn't get a call from the ref's on what appeared to be some pretty severe contact at times. By half time the shooting of Crispin for the Broadclyst team had kept them in the game, and the home team started the third quarter ahead by 1.

In the third quarter Shaun Holmes began by hitting two straight three's in the opening minute. However, from this point things went rapidly down hill. Taunton would find it almost impossible to score against Broadclyst and Coach Shane Johnston scrambled for a combination of players that could produce. Fatigue would again become a factor due to the depleted roster, and be the end of the game Taunton completely lost all focus and conceded a very one sided affair 51-77. One bright spot for Taunton was the consistent and improving play of Matt Acott who had chipped in 22 points by the end of the night.

Scorers and Stats -  Acott - 22, Holmes 10, Eggleton 9 (6 steals), Evans 7 (8 reb's), Nelsey 3 (11 reb's), Crawford 4 reb's, Heath 3 reb's.

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Nomads Home

In their last game of the year against Nomads, Taunton were still trying to remain focussed. With Cup and League titles now out of reach, there was an opportunity to finish in the top 4 spots for entry into the Play Offs competition after the regular season. The first quarter was fast paced yet fairly low scoring with both teams scrambling on defence. Taunton showed some great balance on the court, with four players on the score sheet including Murray Heath and Paul Crawford of the bench with 4 points each. The team play continued into towards half time with Steve Evans showing some great basketball and John Lockyer also coming off the bench with 6 quick points. Regular scoring threats Marc Eggleton and Rich Nelsey would also chip in making it a tied game at the half 43 a piece.

In the third, the quarter started slowly but once Taunton go going there was no stopping them. Ben Thompson would also score in bunches but it was the overall team play that was the most impressive aspect; Some really tough defence on the best Nomads player would see them struggle to get easy scores and Taunton opened up a comfortable margin. The Revolution would outscore Nomads 24-13 in the quarter and go into the fourth up 9.

In the last quarter some steady scoring from Eggleton and Nelsey helped to ice the game, and although the Nomads made a final push of six quick points in the final minute the Revolution would move on to take the game 76-72. It was a great win and the whole team was involved from the outset, showing that things are starting to come together after a somewhat rocky season.

Scorers and Stats - Nelsey 16 (17 reb's), Thompson 15 (5 assists, 4 steals), Eggleton 14 (6 assists, 5 steals), Crawford 8 (7 reb's), Evans 7, Lockyer 6 (6 reb's), Heath 6, Maciek 4 (16 reb's, 2 blocks)

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Broadclyst Away

The final trip down to Broadclyst of the season took place on Saturday 23rd Feb. Taunton were still without key players with injuries, and playing against the tallest squad in the league found themselves with 6 players, the tallest of which is around 6' 2" and recovering from a shoulder injury. Broadclyst did the right thing and got the ball inside early, and established a good lead. Taunton were a little slow on the scoring end finding it hard to penetrate the tall defence. Relying on medium and long range shots Taunton found themselves down by 10 at the end of the first session 13-23, despite all five Revolution starters getting on the scoreboard. In the second Broadclyst stayed with their plan and Taunton had no answer. changing up their defence Taunton managed to contain the teller opposition to only 14 points in the session, however scoring proved difficult again, and even with their Captain Marc Eggleton making 7 points in the quarter the team only managed a total of 11 making the halftime score 24-37 in favour of the home side.

In the third Taunton again showed some great effort on defence, with little coming easily for Broadclyst. Upping their scoring a little Taunton would make 21 points in the third, although still losing the quarter by 5 points. Eggleton again came alive scoring 11 in the quarter, including 8 straight at one point, but Broadclyst kept using their size advantage whenever the score became remotely close. In the last 10 minutes Matt Acott became more involved at the offensive end with 5 points, and although Taunton rallied at times the result was never in danger. A pretty good team effort and performance was let down by some ongoing injuries and apparently poor attendance from some regular players, and although the team spirit and attitude were good in the end it was the lack of players and lack of height which made the difference.

Scorers and Stats - Eggleton 28 (6 steals, 5 reb's), Thompson 10, Acott 10 (3 assists, 3 steals), Holmes 7 (10 reb's), Evans 6 (8 reb's, 3 blocks), Glaeser 3 assists.

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MARCH

Exeter Uni Home

Taunton Revolution Basketball played Exeter Uni at home on the 2nd March. From the opening tip off, the expectations were of a close match up. With Exeter strong at the top of the league Taunton knew they had the ability to give them a good fight, but it would be a tough battle.

Exeter started the game hitting a three, with Marc Eggleton responding immediately with one of his own, followed by another on the next offence from Ben Thompson. The game remained close throughout the first half which showed some of the best Revolution Basketball team play of the year at times and everyone made a strong contribution. With about one second left on the clock before the half time break and Taunton with a sideline ball, Paul Crawford would hit Matt Acott off a screen, and Acott took advantage draining a much needed three pointer as time expired. This would make the score 31-32 to Uni as the half ended in cheers for the home side. In the third the Revolution began to really click on offence. Unstoppable in the quarter Matt Acott would again ignite Taunton hitting 4 three’s in a row and a total of 15 points in the quarter. Eggleton also hit back to back threes at the end of the quarter with the team connecting on a total of 7 from long range in the period.

Entering the fourth Revolution looked strong, but the tenacity of the young Uni team kept them in the game down the stretch. With Taunton unable to answer on offence in the final minutes, and Uni hitting much needed free throws, Taunton would finally concede the hard fought match 67-70.

Scorers and Stats: Acott 23 (6 reb's), Nelsey 14 (22 reb's), Eggleton 15 (2 steals), Thompson 13 (6 assists, 4 blocks), Crawford 2 (7 reb's)

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Exeter Uni Away

Taunton Revolution travelled down to Exeter Uni to play the University team for the final time this season. With a very light and inexperienced roster the game was a very one sided affair, with Taunton never really able to be competitive. The Exeter Uni team would play consistently well throughout the game, rotating their players regularly to keep Taunton under pressure.

Despite some flashes of good team basketball and fast break opportunities that Taunton had at times, in the end University got the job done and sent Taunton home on the wrong end of a 43-113 score. Scorers and Stats: Eggleton 20 (6 steals), Thompson 13 (7 steals), Heath 4 (2 reb's), Maciek 4 (13 reb's, 3 blocks), Crawford 2 (13 reb's).

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Broadclyst Home

Taunton Revolution played against Broadclyst on 16th March at Black Brook Pavilion. The game started a little slow with the defence playing a major part. At times Taunton found points hard to come by, but a boost from John Lockyer off the bench with a three pointer kept the opposition guessing.

Guard Matt Acott again came out firing and was consistent early. Towards the half the gap began to close but the Revolution still had their work cut out for them, down by 12 at the break. In the third period a change in defensive strategy gave the Revolution a real boost. With some great pressure they hounded the Broadclyst guards into turnovers and reduced the deficit. With 9 points in the quarter from Marc Eggleton the Revolution came to within 4 points of Broadclyst. However, the visitors continued to use their size advantage inside to keep Taunton at bay. The scrappy Taunton defence kept the pressure on them and despite being undersized they fought hard to keep Broadclyst within reach.

As the game entered the final quarter, and despite the tenacity of the Revolution, Broadclyst still managed to get the ball inside for seemingly easy points. Into the final minutes fatigue became a factor and again scoring against the bigger team wasn’t easy for Taunton.

Broadclyst remained calm and used the clock down the stretch to take the game 57-66. Scorers and Stats: Acott 20, Eggleton 16, Thompson 6, Maciek 6, Lockyer 5, Crawford 4, Glaeser 2.

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Torbay Away

Taunton travelled to Torbay for the last time this year to face the always challenging Torbay Tigers. Taunton played with some real energy at the start and kept the Tigers guessing with their own tough defence and decent running game. It wasn't long though before Torbay changed up their strategy to put the Revolution side back on their heels. Taunton had great contributions from Paul Glaeser playing through an injured shoulder and working hard, as well as Matt Acott chipping in 8 points early in the game.

At the end though Torbay were too much for the Revolution and the final score was 57-76. Highs were Nelsey with 20 points and 14 Rebounds, Eggleton with 13 points, 8 assists and 5 steals.

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Torbay Home

For the last time this season Torbay would make the journey to Taunton. Once again, a good start for Taunton on the defensive end kept them in the game, holding Torbay scoreless for long periods and playing some great team defence. However, on the offensive end the team struggled, so the game was close throughout.

As the game moved into the final minutes Torbay gained an advantage when key Revolution players left the game on foul limits. 'Skip' Holmes played well and scored 14 points and battled for 10 rebounds, and also Tad Gray showed some of his skills inside with 14 points and 14 rebounds, but the shooting was fairly poor in the game and Taunton wouldn't have enough in them to catch the opposition. Final score was 46-52 to Torbay.

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APRIL

Bridport Away

Taunton Revolution travelled down to Bridport for the last game of the season on Sunday 5th April. The game started with both teams taking time to settle in. Bridport were first to establish themselves, taking advantage of some Taunton mistakes to score on the fast break. Taunton played well inside, led by Tad Gray, and point guard Matt Acott. Bridport were ahead moving into the second quarter, and although Taunton started to move the ball well in the second quarter Bridport still had the lead 30-45 at half time.

In the third quarter Taunton fought to slow down the Bridport players, but still found their own scoring sporadic. With Tad Gray out for the remainder of the game to an injury, Acott kept them in the game with consistent scoring and Taunton players rotated and stepped up, such as Evans, Maciek and Crawford. Into the fourth quarter, and early on Taunton closed the gap to 4 points and things began to really click. Bridport responded by withstanding the run to again take control. Despite a 29 point fourth quarter helped by 14 by Marc Eggleton which included scoring four three pointers in a row, and the first appearance of the year on the court by Coach Shane Johnston, Bridport remained in the lead.

Overall it was a good team effort with all Taunton players making a contribution. Final score: 70-85 to Bridport. Scorers – Acott 15, Eggleton 14, Gray 13, Magiek 8, Evans 7, Crawford 5, Glaeser 4, Johnston 4.


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