London Lions women II went astonishingly close to picking up a key victory before losing 57-55 at Thames Valley Cavaliers, on Sunday.
Ruchae Walton’s triple with 3:32 on the clock gave David Lavinier’s team a 55-52 lead, but they failed to score again in the game and, as they were forced to foul to stop the clock, the hosts wrapped up the victory at the charity stripe.
Walton led the Lions for the first time this season. Finishing with 23 points, four rebounds and three assists in 37 minutes, while Fatmara Janneh had a 15 point, 12 rebound double-double, adding three assists. Wura Ljelu added 11 points, eight rebounds and seven assist but Lions’ three point shooting let them down as they converted only four of their 23 shots from downtown.
The hosts rushed in an early 9-4 lead but a pair of Chenai Mushore free-throws saw the visitors grab their first lead of the game at 10-9 with 5:48 on the clock. The hosts replied with nine straight points but a Walton triple launched another good run from Lions and Ljelu’s three point play cut Cavs’ lead to 20-18 at the first break.
That lead drew to eight early in the second period, but Walton and Janneh kept Lions in touch and Walton’s triple cut Thames Valley’s advantage to 34-31 going into the locker room at half-time,
Ljelu opened the second half scoring before Walton’s lay-up put London ahead by one and there was never more than a basket between the two sides during the third period as Jennah drained from downtown before converting a lay-up to tie the game at 44 heading into the final frame.
Cavs scored the first four points of the fourth period before Jennah halved their lead and Mushore tied the score again. Ljelu gave the Lions the lead, and after the hosts had hit a pair of baskets, Jennah against levelled the score before the final tense minutes saw Cavs come out on top.
The previous day had seen the Lionesses relegation worries increase as Cardiff Archers led Barking Abbey with an 81-67 victory.
Walton and Jenna both converted eight of their 17 field goal attempts on the way to 19 points, with the former adding eight boards and six assists and the latter five rebounds. Nicholle Lavinier finished with 11 points while Ljelu added eight point, seven assists, six rebounds and four steals.
Ljelu’s free-throw and lay-up gave Lions and early 5-2 lead and three Jennah points put the hosts 8-4 midway through the first period. But that proved to be as good as it for the young London team as the visitors reeled off eight straight points to take a lead they would never lose, and Archers went into the first break with a 17-14 lead.
The visitors extended their lead into double figures before Jennah cut it to 38-29 going into the half-time break. The Welsh side continued to add to their advantage and despite Walton’s jump shot to close out the third period, Archers led 63-48.
Tamara Smith-White made it a 13-point game with the opening score of the fourth quarter but Lions never got any closer than ten points when Ljelu drove to the basket and Cardiff closed out the victory to leave Lions still at least three wins away from safety in Division One.
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