The Lions cannot stop winning at the moment as they blew past the Cheshire Phoenix 88-77 at the Copper Box. Jordan Spencer’s season high 21 points carried London to victory and a place in the BBL Trophy Semi-Final.
Sensational Spencer
The Lions could have easily slipped up on what was an off night for their big three of Peel, Tabb and Robinson. The trio each average close to 20 points a game as individuals but shockingly only combined for 12 points total in the first half with Robinson not making a single shot.
Thankfully for Coach Macaulay’s squad, Jordan Spencer put the team on his back and scored a season high 21 points with 17 in the first half alone. In addition to his scoring, Spencer was a pest on the defensive end, shutting down Cheshire’s Momcilo Latinovic, holding him to just 33% shooting. Spencer drew praise from both his coaches and teammate Brandon Peel after the game.
“He (Spencer) was great. We don’t have just one or two guys that can score, we have five and when some of our guys aren’t stepping up it means other guys have too,” said Peel
Dominant Form
BBL teams must be starting to wonder how you can beat this Lions team. At a glance it would appear the Phoenix did everything right. They won the rebound battle, held former MVP Justin Robinson scoreless in the first half, but still ended up falling 11 points short at the final buzzer.
In tight games like this the home-field advantage really becomes evident and played a huge role in the Lions pulling out a win on what was one of their least convincing performances in recent memory.
Crowd Influence
Head Coach Vince Macaulay thanked the fans after Sunday’s game and gave them credit for willing the Lions to their ninth straight victory. Close to 3,000 fans packed out the Copper Box arena which became deafening at times. The Phoenix were clearly thrown off by the noise with their players having clear communication issues with each other and their coaching staff.
The atmosphere in East London was truly electric with the belief and optimism of the fans growing game by game. Lions Forward Peel summed up the mood in East London by saying simply, “Winning always feels good. That’s the best way I can put it, it feels good”.
As always, the Lions star remained humble about the team’s accomplishment but this really a special time for London basketball fans. The team currently sit top of the league and have already taken home the first silverware of the season, lifting the BBL Cup in Birmingham two weeks prior.
Date With Victory?
With belief growing, so do expectations and there will now be more pressure on Coach Macaulay’s men than ever before. We will see if the Lions’ love affair with winning continues as they next face the Plymouth Raiders at the copper box on Valentine’s Day.
