Alex Callow reports from another good win for the London Lions…
A brilliant defensive display by the London Lions saw them consolidate their top five position in the British Basketball League as they saw off the Bristol Flyers 78-65 at the Copper Box Arena.
The Lions in truth were comfortable for most of the match, winning three out of the four quarters. Andrew Sullivan top scored with 17 points and Makal Stibbins reached a double, double as he finished the game with 13 points and 12 rebounds.
Perry Lawson got the Lions off to a flyer as he hit two quick three-pointers early in the first. Brown and Sullivan scored well with the Flyers defence struggling to cope with the Lions’ quick attack. The first quarter ended 23-15 in the Lions’ favour.
Bristol struggled to really test the Lions as they failed to consistently score in the second quarter. The defense from the Lions was sensational at times with Stibbins being first to the ball most of the time and the speed at which the Lions attacked meant that the Flyers were falling further and further behind. At half time the Lions lead 46-36.
The third quarter was the one that sealed the game for the Lions as they limited the Flyers to only nine points in the quarter. The usually deadly Zaire Taylor was quiet on the scoring front but he assisted nine times and was a constant threat all night. Sullivan used all his experience as time and again he found himself in the paint to score easy baskets. By the end of the third the game was effectively over as the Lions led the Flyers 61-45.
With the Lions so far ahead the intensity level dropped and the Flyers actually outscored the Lions in the fourth but it was too late for them to make any impact. As the game was drawing to an end Lavell Cook who finished the game with 13 points added two more points and Lawson came off the bench to hit his third three pointer of the match to put daylight between the two teams. The final score was 78-65 as the Lions recorded back-to-back wins.