By Dave Ryan
Tigers found themselves 24-19 down at the first
break, but raised their game at the beginning of the second and
roared ahead in a 14-0 run with eight points coming from Rich
Anderson. In a defensively tight final two minutes all points on
both sides came from the line, but Taunton's earlier domination
gained them a 42-34 lead by half-time.
Things were fairly even after the break, although Taunton just had
the edge and increased their lead to finish the quarter 11 points
ahead after a basket on the buzzer by Sean Clifford.
Coventry fought back to within three points in the first five
minutes of the final period after a long range basket by Steve Danso. However,
Taunton responded immediately and the game's destiny
seemed dependant on the respective No.11s.
Successive threes within the next minute by Tigers' Joe Andrews
maintained a three-basket lead, but the Crusaders came back again
with their man Danso hurting the Tigers with successive baskets from
outside the arc to get the visitors within a point and the home
crowd on tender-hooks.
But it was another eight points in the closing two minutes from
man-of-the-match Andrews that secured an 81-72 win and increased his
tally for the quarter to 14 points.
Tigers coach Kambouris praised the Crusaders' determination but was
pensive about Taunton’s overall performance:
"You have to hand it to Coventry, they never relented," he
said. "They really hurt us with their pressure towards the end and
made some big shots to keep them in the game.
"Although we got the win, for us this was a step back. From now on
we hope to achieve better execution as we continue our campaign. Tweny-one
turnovers is a big red flag for us. If we do not take care of the
ball, we will struggle."
Andrews finished with 28 points to lead all scorers, with Rich
Anderson adding 15 and nine for Kevin Anderson. Jon Olinger led the
visitors with 21, Danso adding 18 and Taylor 11.
Quarter Scores: 19-24, 23-10, 17-14,
22-24.
Crusaders top scorers: John Olinger
21, Stephen Danso 18, Dan Taylor 11.
Tigers top scorers:
Andrews 28, R.Anderson 15, K.Anderson 9.
Crusaders next home match is on the 10th
October when they face Taunton Tigers, tip-off is 7.30pm at the
Coventry Sports Centre.
.gif)
