Scorchers ended a run of four straight defeats with a thrilling victory over Bristol Flyers.
Speaking after the match, Scorchers captain Tayo Ogedengbe said that only having one tie for the weekend gave the team more time to get ready and prepare for the game.
The match started as an even contest as neither team could pull in front, Will Neighbour got proceedings underway with a 2 only for Bristol to level it up immediately. The match remained tight for the opening 3 minutes, and it looked to like it would stay that way until, at 7-6, Bristol took the initiative and went on a points run of 11-2. Scorchers hit back when Kalil Irving drove through to score a 2, and then follow up from the free-throw. However, despite another late comeback, Q1 ended 20-14 in Flyers favour.
In recent weeks Scorchers have struggled in Q2, but being 7 behind they knew they couldn’t afford that in this game. Albert Margai and Will Neighbour started the quarter off with a 2 between them. Bristol began to find their rhythm as they found the hoop with a couple of 2s of their own. Yet Scorchers were level with 3 minutes left in the quarter when Chaz Rollins found a 2, and this got even better for the away side when Tayo scored another 2 with less than a minute left to give Surrey a slender 31-30 lead going into half-time.
The momentum that Scorchers had built in the second quarter looked to be carrying them into the third, as Surrey took a 7 point lead, which was finalised when the ever dangerous Quincy Taylor found a 2. Bristol were fighting hard to get back into the match, but when the returning Jay Bowie scored a 3, with 4:45 left in the quarter, Scorchers had a 9 point lead. Bristol were going down fighting, but a Rollins 2 helped Surrey see out Q3 with the scores 49-43.
There was a lot of tension in the air as Q4 rolled on. But it was Bristol who looked to be handling the occasion better, as It took Surrey over 3 minutes to get their first points of the quarter. In that time Flyers had completely turned the game around to take the lead. Quincy Taylor helped to break this momentum with a couple of 2s, and while Margai and Chaz Rollins also got in on the action, Bristol still had the lead with 5 minutes left. However, after a Taylor free-throw put Scorchers 1 ahead, Bowie produced a moment of magic to score a 3 that completely silenced the home crowd and put Scorchers back in control of the match. This was followed by a Tayo 3, as Scorchers went on a 14 point scoring run. Bristol brought the game back to within 5, but a late Bowie free-throw helped Surrey see out the game.
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