The London Lions outclassed the Leeds Force in an impressive 107-56 victory at the Copper Box arena on Thursday night.
Putting on a defensive clinic, the Lions displayed how key good defence and hustle is to winning games; the home side showed off both their perimeter defence and post defence, especially as the Yorkshire-based side went down low to their big man for the majority of their points. Vince Macaulay’s men adjusted to their post-game with big men Flo Larkai and Corey Dixon deterring players at the rim.
Transition defence also played a huge role with the east-London side harassing the away club before they could even advance the ball, leading to a play of four steals in a row from an inbounding play, before giving the Lions an easy eight points within the space of a few seconds.
Defence Wins Games
With arguably the most impressive defensive performance, was Jonathon Thompson, who had several steals in the third quarter alone. The guard kept his hands up and ready allowing him to snatch the ball on the break, providing him with the chance to show off his athleticism, throwing down multiple dunks which got the crowd and bench pumped up.
The Lions’ guard explained how key the defensive stronghold his team placed on the visitors:
“Tonight we tried to focus on us and not so much on Leeds, but with the steals and me being aggressive on defence it was just that I was on the good side of the whistle,” he said.
A lot of hustle defensive plays can be called as fouls and on another night, it might have gone the other way, which the player recognised, fouling out of his last home game.
It was a great team win for the Olympic Park-based outfit as the game ended with six players in double-figure scoring, including defensive-savvy Thompson, who attributed these stats to good movement:
“We were pushing the ball, sharing in transition, looking ahead. That was pretty much our focus,” said the American.
Sharing The Rock
The capital city-squad showed unselfish play, allowing for everyone to gain touches -especially on the break, drawing out defenders to set-up easy lay-ins and dunks.
Showed off their foot work was the big men, as powerhouse forward Corey Dixon led the fast break with frequency, displaying his ball handling ability and vision on the court.
Low post star Flo Larkai also showed off his foot work down low with a number of spin moves, as well as showing off his strength throwing down monstrous dunks throughout the game.
As the first of a back-to-back, the home side has a tough stretch with five home games in six days, the team will need to lock-in to come out of this run with as many wins as possible.
Thompson believed the schedule with be arduous but remained positive.
“It’s going to be tough. It is something we are just going to have to grind out. All the top teams have to do it, and it’s going to be a test,” said the 27-year-old.
This is an opportunity for the London squad to show their talent and send a message to the other teams who are nearing the post season.
Young Blood
Another stand out performance was local man Jonathan James, who graduated from the Lions academy. The guard, who received extended minutes, showed what he can do on the court with several threes, as well as showing off his hops throwing down some highlight reel dunks. James ended the night with 17 points and a couple of steals, and his effort and skills did not go unnoticed as a roaring home crowd voted him as the game’s MVP.
The young guard was overjoyed to be named player of the game by his fans:
“It feels good to finally show what I can do on the court, I know I can do a lot more, but today was a prime example of what could happen in the future,” he said.
Execution was James’s key to his performance:
“Executing, doing everything right, running the floor well.
“Being in the right place at the right time – which means coming off ball screens, moving, not standing around ball-watching. Once you’re moving off the ball, the game will come to you,” said the youngster.
The 21-year-old understood how important it was for the team to make a push up the standings, and to try and make a deep play-off run:
“All the games that we have ahead are going to be very important, they are all head-to-heads and the more we win, the more we advance in the table,” he said.
Lions’ recent run of form has seen them move up to fourth position, only a few games behind the Glasgow Rocks and Newcastle Eagles in second and third respectively.
If Macaulay’s side can keep up their impressive home form, then the squad could easily move up the rankings, giving them great positioning come play-off time.
