London, Sunday 3 May — The London Lions completed a dominant quarter-final series victory over the Newcastle Eagles with an 88–69 win at Crystal Palace, advancing to the SLB Semi-Finals with a commanding aggregate result.

Entering the second leg with an 18-point advantage, the Lions weathered an early push from Newcastle before taking control in the second quarter and never looking back, delivering a composed and professional playoff performance in front of a sold-out home crowd.

Shavar Reynolds Jr. led the Lions with 10 points and 10 assists, orchestrating the offence throughout. Aaryn Rai also recorded a double-double with 10 points and 11 rebounds. Ciaran Sandy contributed 10 points, while Chaundee Brown Jr. added eight points. Joel Scott and Ethan Price provided a strong interior presence, helping London control the paint and maintain balance on both ends.

“Want to congratulate my guys for passing on to the Semi Finals…gritty, tough two games. Took us a little in the first half to get a grasp of the game, but the second quarter we figured it out, and from there we didn’t look back,” Head Coach Tautvydas Sabonis said postgame.

Newcastle started aggressively, knocking down early shots to take a lead midway through the first quarter. London responded through Scott, who stretched the floor with a three, while Tarik Phillip and Rai began to find success attacking gaps in the Eagles’ zone defence.

Despite a late three from Gus Okafor to close the quarter, the Lions remained within reach, trailing 20–18 after one.

The second quarter proved to be the turning point.

London opened the period with a quick run, sparked by Rai’s coast-to-coast finish and Scott’s physical play inside. Ball movement improved as the Lions began to dissect the zone, with Price benefiting from strong interior passes and Reynolds controlling the tempo.

A key defensive stretch led to transition opportunities, highlighted by Phillip’s steal and feed to Brown for a slam that ignited the crowd. From there, London extended the lead through disciplined execution, taking a 49–36 advantage into halftime.

“Every time we could get a stop, we tried to run and not let them set up defensively…the guys understood that especially in the second quarter where the defensive end intensity picked up,” Sabonis added.

The Lions carried that momentum into the third quarter.

Price opened the half with an and-one, before Deane Williams asserted himself inside with a strong post finish and later knocked down a three to extend the lead beyond 20. Newcastle found some scoring through perimeter shooting, but London’s control never wavered.

A timely three from Sandy helped halt a brief Eagles run, as the Lions entered the fourth quarter leading 69–54.

In the final period, London closed with authority.

Sandy opened the quarter with back-to-back scores, while Amin Adamu added a step-back three to push the lead to 25. From there, the Lions managed the game effectively, maintaining defensive pressure and controlling the tempo to secure the 88–69 victory.

The result sends London through to the Semi-Finals, where they will face Leicester next week as they continue their pursuit of silverware.