Leopards 77 (14,31,50)
Sheffield Arrows 87 (20,45,69)

Game Stats

Leopards kept their hope of a home play-off spot alive as they hammered Taunton Tigers at Wodson Park, on Sunday.

Gareth Laws led the Big Cats scoring for the 12th time this season with 22 points as they recorded their biggest win of the season.

Captain Sam Salter added 18, Fola Adeleke chipped in with 13 and Matt Collins came off the bench to also score 13.

Errol Seaman and Leigh Greenan returned after illness and injury respectively, with the latter playing only limited minutes, and coach Jon Burnell made a surprise change to his starting lineup with Lucas Volskis replacing Carl Latham-Henry.

In direct contrast to the previous week against Sheffield, Leopards started strongly with Laws draining a three and Volskis scoring two from four foul shots.

Laws converted a three-point play after being foul Rivello as Leopards rushed into a 8-0 lead, and although Clifford broke his team’s duck after 3:27, the Big Cats continued to dominate from outside the arc with Salter scoring from down town before a pair of Laws threes sent the Big Cats in the first break with a 21-17 lead

Richard Anderson cut that advantage to two with the first score of the second period, but seven points from Collins in an 11-2 run put Leopards into a 32-21 lead at the midway stage of the period, and their lead never dipped below ten again.

Another Salter three extended the lead to 13, and with Roger Lloyd and Fola Adeleke also getting on the scoresheet, Leopards went into the locker room with a 45-28 lead.

Any worries that the Big Cats would relax in the second half were quickly dispelled a Fola Adeleke scored the first five points after the break, and that run was extended to 11 straight points as Laws and Latham-Henry both scored before Adeleke wrapped up the tear to put Leopards 56-28 ahead.

Paul Yabsley, who led the Tigers with 11 points, broke the run before five straight Salter points gave the home side a 31 points advantage.

Collins and Latham-Henry both kept Leopards comfortably ahead from the line, but it was four points from Laws which sent the Big Cats into the final break with a 27-point lead.

With the game effectively over, coach Burnell used the final period to work on various plays, with juniors Alex Scotland-Williamson and Ben Warden given some court time, but with Salter draining his fourth trey of the night, Leopards still extended their lead by six.

Latham-Henry scored back-to-back baskets to take the lead above 30 again, before Adeleke wrapped up Leopards’ ninth league victory of the campaign to send the home fans happy.

Leopards: G Laws 22, S Salter 18, M Collins 13, F Adeleke 13, C Latham-Henry 10, L Volskis 5, L Greenan 2, R Lloyd 1, M Eames, E Seaman, A Scotland-Williamson, B Warden