Lions suffered Valentine’s Day heartbreak on Wednesday as Leicester left the capital with a 90-81 victory during the first leg of the BBL Trophy semi-final.
A packed out Copper Box Arena made for a great atmosphere during the showdown, mainly in part to the film crews surrounding the court waiting for the highly anticipated arrival of American basketball personality and Big Baller Brand owner Lavar Ball, who along with his wife and younger sons LiAngelo and LaMelo sat courtside for the match.
No Love Lost
The players may have been handing out roses before the game, but there was certainly no affection out on the hardwood; both teams started off aggressively in the paint, trying to draw contact.
A couple of hard fouls and no calls early in the first quarter left Lions coach Vince Macaulay enraged, and he certainly voiced his opinions to the refs picking up a technical foul for his words.
For the Lions it was big man Flo Larkai who started strong giving the team strength down low – hitting a few post hooks in the paint, demonstrating his finesse.
“That’s my game and coach preached to try and get down low. The guys wanted me to get down low, get my position and attack,” explained Larkai, following the game.
The 36-year-old took advantage of his frame and experience on the mismatch with the Riders guards, going straight to work down low and eventually tiring the defence out with his physicality. The six-foot-nine forward’s ability to ware down the defence meant he was a main factor, playing heavy minutes during the fixture.
Injury Setbacks
Into the second half, fans witnessed a tight encounter with neither side running away with a big lead as momentum swung back and forth.
However, the Lions were dealt a big blow, as star forward Corey Dixon, who had started the game strong, was plagued with injuries throughout the game. What seemed to be an ankle issue saw him limp off for rest on the side-line, before getting back into the game and finding rhythm.
Dixon then took a hard elbow to the face, subsequently busting open his nose and mouth – leaving blood all over his jersey and on the court. Both sides, along with the fans, were left hanging around for a seemingly long time as the court had to be cleaned.
The break in play did not do the Lions any favours, the 27-year-old’s injury kept him off the court for most of the fourth quarter, which left the team lacking in size on defence and rebounding as well as losing some offensive fire power.
Defensive Woes
Leicester took advantage of gaps in the defence as corner shooters were left wide open and confidently knocking down jumpers, rattling the Lions defensively. Larkai who held his own in the post, was amongst the many players who found themselves unsure on who to close out during defensive plays.
“We had some defensive lapses and some offensive blunders as well, some easy ones that kind of broke the game apart,” said the forward.
Although the team locked in towards the end of the game, their early mistakes proved too much to overcome as the Riders ran away with the game.
Next Up
This was the Lions first of a two-game series with the BBL Championship leaders, and with a trip up to Leicester upcoming, Larkai mentioned communication as a key to recover going forward.
“Communicate is number one on defence, once we do that we’re fine.
“When we put in a little more effort on the defence and communication side we’ll be alright,” he added.
Communication and teamwork will certainly be the primary focus going forward for Vince Macaulay’s squad.
