Alex Callow reports from a disappointing showing from the London Lions…
London Lions were without Rod Brown as they lost 69-56 to defending BBL champions Newcastle Eagles at the Copperbox Arena.
The Lions were rocked before the game even started as Rod Brown was injured in the warm-up.
Known for their strong defence, the Eagles showed why they are defending champions as they only allowed the Lions to score five points in the first quarter as they led 20-5. Zaire Taylor scored a jumper for a three and Ian Salter dunked after good work from Drew Sullivan for the Lions following a barren quarter.
Lavell Cook, who came in for the injured Brown, took his chance with both hands as he hit a three pointer. Cook and Taylor were chipping away at the deficit but the poor first quarter from the Lions proved too difficult to overcome. The Eagles finished strongly late in the second as they scored 10 points without reply and led at half-time 45-26.
After the interval Cook was doing his best to get back into the game as he led the Lions into a 10-0 run to close to gap with the Eagles. Cook was leading the scoring charts with 25 points and cut the lead down to single figures.
With the Lions desperately trying to catch up, it was Cook who was on a solo mission as he hit another three-pointer to cut down the lead even more. There was controversy late on as Cook powered his way through the Eagles defence to score two points but the officials called him up for travelling.
This was game over for the Lions as the Eagles finished the game off as their star man Darius Defoe hit a jump shot for two with Rahmon Fletcher also hitting a two, leaving the final score at 69-56. The Lions will be ruing their poor start that they never quite recovered from but Cook can take pride in his performance as he scored a game high 25 points.