The London Lions staged a dramatic second-leg comeback to knockout the Newcastle Eagles and advance to the BBL Cup Final.
The Lions now await the result of the other semi-final clash between the Manchester Giants and Glasgow Rocks to find out who their opponents will be.
The final will be held in Birmingham on Sunday 27th January 2019.
Determination
After a shaky start to the game the Lions pulled ahead in the 3rd quarter behind a barrage of 3-pointers which Newcastle simply could not keep up with, and the Lions never looked back.
The wing duo of Brandon Peel and Ladarius Tabb lead the way in scoring, combining for a total of 41 points. Peel gave his thoughts on Lion’s possible opponents after the game:
“We don’t take anybody lightly. We got to come out with the same intensity we came out with here against Newcastle, we have a lot to prove and we have to show that were serious about this.”
Waiting Game
UEL’s own Brandon Peel is clearly focused on getting the job done, no matter who the teams opponents will be.
Glasgow are looking the most likely opposition as they hold an eight-point lead over Manchester after their 85-77 victory in the first leg.
The Lions will have to wait in anticipation until the second leg on January 13th to discover their fate.
Title Dreams
Making the final is a massive achievement for coach Vince Macaulay and his squad. With the team still yet to hoist a major trophy in their history its an incredibly exciting time to be a Lions fan.
Top of the BBL and with a cup final to come, its no wonder Coach Macaulay was dancing at mid court with his players after the final buzzer.
The huge pressure of bringing the first ever piece of silverware back to the Copper Box will be placed firmly on the shoulders of Forwards Ladarius Tabb and Brandon Peel.
With Tabb’s insane athleticism and speed paired with Peel’s shooting touch, the dynamic duo complement each other perfectly.
Peel’s Key To Success
While remaining humble as ever when asked about his scoring ability, Peel remained very confident on his squads’ chance of lifting the BBL Cup:
“I’m going to have to give it to Ladarius (when asked about who is the better scorer) but when he doesn’t have his day, I have my day and vice versa so we need to keep scoring in tandem in order for us to keep winning.”
A little healthy competition between teammates is always good and this pair have really pushed each other to new heights this season.
Peel ended the interview by saying, “Were expecting to come out, play hard and hopefully take home the trophy”.
The team are clearly confident but in the mean time Lions fans can only wait and dream of their first cup victory.
