The London Lions produced one of their best wins of the season to stay undefeated at home with a 94-78 victory over the Cheshire Phoenix at the Copperbox Arena on Wednesday, improving their record to nine wins and three losses on the season.
Representing the Nation
Fresh from being named in the upcoming 24-man initial GB squad for the EuroBasket 2021 qualifiers, Lions’ players Justin Robinson and Ovie Soko looked to take on fellow GB callup Ben Mockford and his Cheshire Phoenix. Coming off an impressive 33 point performance in his last outing, Soko was now averaging 21.9 points per game, along with 8.6 rebounds per game.
Poor Run Of Form
The Lions came into this game on a two-game losing streak after losses to the Newcastle Eagles and Glasgow Rocks. Phoenix coach, Ben Thomas, was cautious of playing the Londoners saying “They will be looking to bounce back after two consecutive league defeats but we also want to make sure we bounce back from our semi-final first leg loss on Sunday”.
Strong End To The Quarter
It took a while for both teams to settle into the game with neither team’s shots falling. Things happened to take a turn for the Lions when Buay Tuach’s layup gave the home team a five-point lead and the Londoners started to get a grip of the game, with buckets from Soko and Ikhinmwin establishing the lead as the first quarter came to a close with the Lions up by 11.
Defense Leading to Offense
Guard Jordan Wheelan’s impressive string of shooting had the Lions up by 16 with the Phoenix having no answer to the onslaught of offense from the league leaders. Turnovers and hurried shots seemed to be all the away team were conjuring up and the Lions were happy to take advantage of that.
However, Centre Demonte Flannigan of the Phoenix seemed to be carrying the load of the offense, as the Lions were still up comfortable at half-time .At the start of the third quarter, the Lions went in for the kill, going on a 9-0 scoring run with the lead at 25 points with impressive shooting and excellent defense at the rim, one of the many reasons why the Lions are undefeated at home.
Cheshire Comeback?
The fourth quarter saw a completely different Phoenix team, as they made shots and defended well to start the final quarter. And somehow, they had chipped the deficit down to eight points with just over five minutes remaining, but it was too little too late. The Lions went on to finish out the quarter strong by getting to the free throw line, closing out the game with another win.
Sharp Shooters
The Lions’ impressive shooting was on display today and what ultimately won it for the Londoners was their field goal percentage: they shot above 50% in every quarter except the fourth. In contrast, the Phoenix shot 43% from the field. Lions coach Vince Macaulay will be ultimately pleased again with his bench players as that’s where his team came up big, scoring 45 points off the bench compared to the away team’s 15.
Reigning two-time BBL MVP Robinson led the team in scoring with 19 points, followed close behind by Soko and Tuach, who both scored 16 each.
