London, Saturday 24 April - London Lions wrapped up the regular season in style on Saturday night, taking down Surrey 89ers 62-86 at Surrey Sports Park to send a clear message to the rest of the league ahead of the playoffs.
With the top seed already secured, Head Coach Tautvydas Sabonis' side put on a clinic at both ends of the floor, hitting 51% from the field, dishing out 25 assists, and holding their hosts to just 36% shooting on the night.
Chaundee Brown Jr led the scoring with 15 points off the bench, going 6-of-8 from the field including 3-of-4 from deep. Aaryn Rai added 12 points and 9 rebounds, while Ethan Price posted a near double-double with 11 points and 10 boards. Five Lions players scored in double figures, with the bench contributing 39 points to underline the depth at Sabonis' disposal.
The Lions ran out to a 21-11 second quarter to take control and never looked back, outscoring Surrey 27-12 in the third to put the game out of reach. Surrey were led by Tyrin Lawrence with 15 and Kino Lily Jr with 14 and 6 assists, but couldn't keep pace with a Lions side firing on all cylinders.
The defensive effort was as impressive as the offensive output. The Lions forced 14 points off turnovers, owned the paint with 56 points in the lane to Surrey's 24, and never let the hosts string together a meaningful run.
Attention now turns to the playoffs, with the Lions confirmed to be taking on Newcastle Eagles in the quarter-finals.
The away leg tips off on Friday, before the series returns to London for the home leg at Crystal Palace on Sunday May 3rd at 7pm, with tickets available here.