Sead Dizdarevic reports on the Lions last game of the season against newly crowned champions Leicester Riders.
London Lions won their final game of the regular season 72-63 against champions Leicester Riders to secure 6th place in the BBL standings. Lions guard Alex Owumi scored a team high 16 points in the victory.
In the first quarter the Lions were able to establish an early advantage with efficient shooting against a less experienced Leicester side who rested their star players after being confirmed as champions on Friday. The London side lead at the end of the first quarter was 26-16.
The second quarter was more of the same with the Lions creating a gap by as many as 15 points. Leicester’s Andre Arissol provided the Riders with some hope as they reduced the deficit going into half time by 11 points, with the score 42-31 to the Lions.
Cruise control
The Lions carried on with their inspired performance in the third quarter as they limited the Riders scoring with defensive stops, opening up a 17 point lead against the visitors. Lions guards Zach Gachette and Nick Lewis picked up the scoring for the Lions going into the final stages of the game.
The youthful Riders side provided a valiant comeback attempt as they managed to trim the lead down to single digits in the fourth quarter. However this wasn’t enough to cause any scares for the Lions as they managed to secure the win and the 6th seed in the playoffs.
The Lions will be facing the Sheffield Sharks in the playoffs at the CopperBox on Sunday 24th of April with a tip off time at 16:00.