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 un-played game against third place 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.

Both Flyers and Tigers finish with a 17 win and 3 loss record but Bristol have the edge in the head-to-head tiebreaker. Losing by 1 away but winning by 3 points at home left just 2 points separating them. Despite the anticlimactic end to the league, Flyers have proved themselves by winning crucial games this year and are deserved champions.

Tigers were determined to finish their own league campaign with a win and they 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 12 – 31 lead by the end of the period.

It was downhill from there for Tigers 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 Thames Valley 14 – 12 Taunton. The early good shooting for Tigers dried up and Cavaliers rebounded well at the offensive end, leading to second and third chance opportunities.

At half-time Tigers still held a comfortable lead 26 – 49 but it was reduced further in the third quarter following good outside shooting from Cavaliers combined with strong moves inside. Tigers weren’t able to regain their offensive form and struggled to run their plays. By the end of the quarter their lead was down to 11 with the score 45 – 56.

The fourth was a scrappy quarter with Cavaliers continuing their fight back and Tigers looking to hold on. Mark Schroeder was key down the stretch for Tigers, scoring 6 of his game-high 19 points. As the quarter drew to a close Tigers showed good composure in closing out the game and were able to use the clock to their advantage. Despite further reducing the lead, Cavaliers were never able to get in front and the match finished Thames Valley 62 – 67 Taunton.

Top scorers for Tigers were Mark Schroeder 19, Paul Yabsley 16 and Christian Alexander 13. Top scorers for Cavaliers were M. Adan 16, M. Donegal 16 and D. Gumbs-Williams 13.

By finishing league runners up Tigers have a secured a place in the division four play-off competition and will be seeded sixth of eight due to winning percentage. They will face the winners of the Midlands division, Team Derby in the first round on Saturday 7th April.