London Lions began their defence of the British Basketball League title in scrappy fashion, but enough to claim a win over Surrey Scorchers at Surrey Sports Park on Saturday evening.
It certainly wasn’t the breathtaking and devastating best that we have seen, but the Lions still showcased what they are capable of with a brand of basketball shooting 55% from the floor. London were able to continue along and grab the win over Surrey, 83-61.
London Lions starting five: Luke Nelson, Tarik Philip, Donte Grantham, Conor Morgan and Gabe Olaseni
Surrey Scorchers starting five: Abdul Mohammed, Cam Gooden, Jordan Hunt, Josh Steel and Justin Robinson
Gabe Olaseni and Tarik Philip paced London with 13 points each with the former pulling down 10 rebounds.
“We didn’t execute the way we wanted to, especially in the first half,” Olaseni said.
“Second half though we turned it up and my team-mates stepped up defensively and we played our game well and I’m happy to be part of it.”
Despite an opening day defeat, Surrey battled in front of a raucous full house in Guildford, that included British Basketball League CEO Aaron Radin.
The Scorchers were led by 12 points from Cam Gooden.
In a blistering start, with both teams keen to push the tempo, London, thanks to a 9-0 run during the mid-way stage of the first and six points off 3/3 shooting from GB international Olaseni, gave the visitors a 22-19 lead.
However, Surrey, boosted by a corner three from Quin Cooper at the first-quarter buzzer, looked to enter the second quarter with momentum.
It didn’t materialise.
An 11-0 spurt from the defending champions established a double-digit lead at 35-25 with 5:20 left in the half, as they bullied the Scorchers in the paint.
But the resilient hosts remained in the rearview mirror and inspired by Abdul Mohammed’s energy and former Lion Justin Robinson – who ended with 10 points – responded with an 8-0 burst themselves, but Surrey still trailed 38-33 at the break.
It gave London time to regroup and once again, they established their double-digit lead with a three in the corner from Connor Morgan giving the Lions a 54-40 cushion with 3:39 left in the third.
Surrey hit back with triples from veteran Tayo Ogedengbe and Cooper but London re-established their 14-point lead on the third quarter buzzer from Donte Grantham.
There was a worry for the Lions as Jordan Taylor landed awkwardly inside, and with a heavy workload for coach Petar Bozic this season, rotation and rest will be vital but the champions began their defence with a win on the road.
For the Scorchers, a team plagued by injuries over the last two seasons, they boast a solid core of players that showed promise in stages that proved they will make life hard for teams this season.
“I believe this is only the second game that I have coached Surrey, where I have had a full-strength side,” said Scorchers coach Lloyd Gardner.
“We showed signs tonight but I’ve just told my guys that we will never beat a team like London shooting 20% from three-point land, but I feel that there were positive signs from us going forward.”
With the new season here, you can still get your British Basketball fix by following the League on social media or heading to our YouTube channel to relive all of the best moments from last year!