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Ovie Soko’s Return & 14-Point Performance Helps the London Lions Keep Cheshire Phoenix at Bay for 89-79 Home Victory. Player of the Game, Tomislav Zubcic, Records 19 Points, 3 Rebounds, 1 Assist and 1 Steal
The Londoners started the game off hot, leaping to a 6-2 start via Sam Dekker’s orchestration and clinical touches of Aaron Best, Kosta Koufos and Jordan “JT” Taylor.
Although not (currently) known as a stretch big, Great Britain national center Josh Sharma stepped back behind the 3-point line and knocked down his third triple of the regular season to extend London’s lead to a 9-2 advantage.
Cheshire took advantage of several calls that went against the Lions to claw their way back into the game, eventually tying the clash 9-9. Amped after connecting from long-range, Josh Sharma wrestled the lead back in honour of the Lions via an aggressive back-scratcher dunk.
However, the northwest England-based outfit replied with an energy-stealing 0-6 run to claim an 11-15 advantage. Phoenix eventually ended the first period with a 15-18 lead. Although the Larry Nance-led squad began the second quarter extending their advantage to 15-20 (60 seconds into the period), their lead evaporated as talisman Ovie Soko quickly made his presence felt.
The proud Londoner was the spark that lit the Lions' 10-2 run, dishing out dimes to rookie Jonathan Komagum and Mo Soluade for back-to-back triples, grabbing defensive rebounds, setting hard-nosed screens, getting to the line and knocking down free throws, playing suffocating on-ball lockdown defence and of course scoring.
The Lions' 10-2 run allowed London to claim a 28-22 from 18-20 down. To say the Lions’ run was energy-stealing would be an understatement, as London refused the relinquish their advantage for the remainder of the game. Two more triples from Soluade and another from Tomislav “Zuba” Zubcic continued to pile more misery on the Northerners as they were also unable to get past Coach Ryan Schmidt’s well-organised defence.
The capital city representatives continued their offensive tyranny well into the third quarter going on 7-0 and 9-2 runs to keep Cheshire at bay. Phoenix continued to fight back to the tune of a total of 20 points in the third, but it didn’t help much as they ended the period 19 points behind the Lions.
Cheshire tried to fight their way back in the fourth via the talents of Larry Austin Jr., Jamell Anderson and Maceo Jack, but London kept them at bay. Austin Jr. cut the lead to nine points, but Sharma pushed the lead back up to 11. Jordan “JT” Taylor sinking his two late free throws effectively killed off the game to give the London Lions the victory.