London, September 23, 2026 — London Lions continued their perfect start to the 2026–27 Super League Basketball Championship campaign, defeating Cheshire Phoenix 91-81 on Wednesday night.
The Lions controlled the game for three quarters, building a 23-point halftime advantage and leading by as many as 29 before Cheshire mounted a late fourth-quarter comeback. London ultimately held firm to move to 3-0 in the SLB.
Joel Scott led the way for London with 19 points and seven rebounds, while Ethan Price added 15 points and seven rebounds off the bench. Keenan Evans finished with 13 points and four assists, Maxwell Lewis recorded 12 points, five rebounds and three blocks, and Tarik Phillip contributed 10 points and five rebounds. London also finished with 22 assists and 39 rebounds as a team.
The Lions established their physical presence early, with Scott scoring on a series of finishes inside. A high-low connection between Scott and Thomas Kennedy produced an early dunk for Kennedy, before Scott added another finish to help London take control. Evans followed a tough finish inside by forcing a turnover on the defensive end, while Lewis attacked a closeout to push the Lions further ahead.
Scott continued to find success in the paint, forcing a Cheshire timeout after another powerful finish to put London up 11-7. A pass from Mo Soluade into a sealing Scott produced another basket, before Lewis knocked down a transition three. London closed the opening period with a contested finish from Phillip to take a 20-12 lead.
Soluade opened the second quarter with a three, before Price began to make his impact felt. The forward converted a tough and-one finish and followed it with a spin into a left-handed hook as the Lions stretched their advantage.
Kennedy added a hook of his own before stealing the ball and finishing in transition, and London continued to build momentum. A breakaway pass found Scott for another finish, while Price added an offensive rebound and putback before Josh O'Garro converted a steal to make it 44-23 with 30 seconds remaining in the half.
London carried the 44-23 advantage into the interval.
Scott continued his impact after the break with a soft touch inside, before adding another finish off a pass from Kennedy for a dunk. Lewis provided further energy on the defensive end with another block, while Scott continued to attack Cheshire inside.
The Lions responded to a brief Cheshire run with a three from Lewis before a steal led to a finish from Evans, forcing another Phoenix timeout with London ahead 59-35. Lewis then produced one of the highlights of the night, throwing down a lob dunk after a back screen from Price and Soluade.
London continued to control the third quarter, with Phillip adding a tough finish and Lewis knocking down another pull-up. The Lions entered the final period with a 71-48 advantage.
Cheshire attempted to close the gap early in the fourth, but London continued to answer. A three from Horton maintained a 25-point advantage before the Phoenix began to chip away at the lead.
A three from Williams cut the deficit to 19 and forced a London timeout, before Evans responded from deep. Cheshire continued to find success offensively, eventually cutting the London lead to 15 with just under five minutes remaining.
The Lions steadied themselves as the Phoenix continued to push, with Phillip grabbing an offensive rebound and finishing the putback. Scott then found Ade Adebayo in the corner for a three to help London maintain control in the closing stages.
Cheshire continued to battle until the final buzzer, but the Lions closed out the 91-81 victory to remain unbeaten through the opening three games of their SLB campaign.
The Lions now return to the Copper Box Arena for their first SLB home game of the season, hosting new franchise Liverpool Basketball on Sunday at 4:00pm.
