The Lions get back to winning ways asthey pick up a valuable victory against the Caledonia Gladiators in Scotland.
GB internationals Gabe Olaseni and LukeNelson stood out for their team in an eight-point victory for the reigningBritish Basketball League champions.
In their final league game of 2023, the LondonLions headed to Scotland to face the second placed Caledonia Gladiators.
Coming off a disappointed result in Parison Boxing Day, the Lions were keen to end the year on a high as they continuetheir quest to become back-to-back champions.
The game tipped off in similar fashion tomany of London’s recent fixtures as they saw themselves start the match slowlyand quickly fall behind.
The Gladiators looked determined to make astatement as they put the Lions on the backfoot early, forming a 14-point lead.Momentum firmly with the Scottish side with the first quarter drawing to aclose at 26-18 in favour of the hosts.
The second quarter began with a hill toclimb for the travelling side, who started the second period fast – narrowingthe deficit through the reliable. Gabe Olaseni.
The experienced big man scored on back-to-backplays to give London their first lead of the game nearing the end of thequarter. Kareem Queeley backed up Olaseni’s scoring with a triple, meaning thevisitors could head into the break trailing by just a singular point.
As the second half tipped off, Londonslowly grew their lead with prolific scoring from Luke Nelson – who put up avaluable 15 points on the night.
The Lions dominated in the third period andextended their lead to nine points by the end of the quarter. Suddenly, theylooked in control and looked set to see the game out against the Gladiators.
In the fourth quarter, the visitorsremained calm in claiming the the victory as Gabe Olaseni played a pivotal rolein an impressive road win for the Lions. The big man scored 18 points on hisbirthday to help complete yet another comeback victory for the Lions.
As a result, Petar Božić’s side leftScotland with another domestic victory to further extend their lead at the topof the British Basketball League Championship.
London will now look forward to their firstmatch of 2024 where they will face the Surrey Scorchers on New Years Day at theCopper Box Arena.
Watch thehighlights from Caledonia Gladiators vs London Lions here.
