“Comfortable” win for the late Lions over winless Mersey

Mersey Tigers suffered yet another head-to-head whitewash in the BBL Championship with a 58-78 defeat at home in Knowsley to London Lions.

The Tigers lay in wait for Lions, who were stuck on the motorway travelling up north, causing the game to be delayed by 45 minutes, but the home side were not able to build upon London’s lack of warm up time.

There was a debut for forward Nathan Schall, facing up against a former side of his, and the attendance of local Labour MP for Knowsley, George Haworth, who took part in the recent parliamentary debate on the removal of funding for basketball from UK Sport, prior to its reinstatement shortly after.

Mersey did keep within touch early on in the contest, as baskets were traded to begin with, despite consistent handling errors and a distinct lack of anyone wanting to take control of the tempo of the game, with such a rushed feel for both teams.

Mersey’s Phil Wait had enough presence inside to trouble London’s ability to get to the basket, forcing them to shoot from distance.

However, midway through the quarter, Lions found their range a little better and were able to start creating a lead of sorts, when a 7-0 run appeared.

Tigers kept their heads, and were able to hit back; the first quarter seperated only by Adrien Sturt’s extra three-pointer over Josh McGinn’s effort, 13-16.

Straight from the blocks in the second quarter, Mersey had the newly appointed captain Gael Hulsen to thank for a successful attempt from roughly three feet outside the arc, giving them the lead, which would happen to be for the very last time in the game.

Another 7-0 run from Vince Macaulay’s side gave the visitors the momentum, and although Wait and Chris Bigley’s buckets brought it back to within just a point, but the frantic nature of the game began to wain off, and it was again clear that Lions were able to find their way towards the basket progressively easier as half-time approached, going on a 13-1 run.

Mersey hit back and had possession with enough time to draw out one last play of the half, but it was a chance that went begging, and went into the locker room 12 points adrift, 27-39.

Schall began to make some inroads coming out for the second half, but that really was one of the only positives to draw from the rest of the game. His scooped put back jam, where the ball was almost directly beneath the basket, wowed the crowd, but the continued surge by Lions meant the score quietly crept higher for the remainder of the game.

It could have changed and been closer in terms of the scores if Phil Wait had stayed on court, not rebounding brilliantly on the night and as the time ticked down , but he prevented drives inside when he was, and looking in the best shape since he’d started with Mersey.

Despite a lead of 27 near to the end of the fourth quarter, Lions seemed to step off the gas and allowed Mersey to finish with a flourish of points to bring the deficit down to 20, ending 58-78.

Orlan Jackman was top scorer on the night with 16 for Lions, but Joshua Lockett was close behind with 15 for Mersey.

It wasn’t a dynamic, classy or stylish performance from London by any means, but it was dominant enough, and a whole team effort involved, to get the job done, and done properly, not having to leave matters until the final quarter, against a side whose heads you feel have really begun to drop, but not for a want of trying over the previous 25 games before this one.

Mersey have just nine games left of the season to play. Out at the first hurdle of both the Cup and the Trophy, out of contention for the play-offs, and now running out of time and chances to pick up a win.

It does not get any better either – the players are well aware of it too – their next opponents are Newcastle Eagles, and after their demolition at Sport Central, the boards at Knowsley are in for a battering if the last meeting is anything to go by.

Play of the game

No, it wasn’t the Gangnam Style in the crowd as everyone waited for London to turn up, but the 13-1 run for the Lions in the second quarter. It was clinical, direct, and did the necessary job. Not afraid to pick up the fouls driving inside in order to get a decent lead at the stage and to get away from trading baskets, and ultimately won them the game looking fully in control and eased up down the stretch.

Game MVP

This is the first time all year I’ve done this for any game – but for me London had a solid all round team performance, and it was hard to fault anyone of their players considering the late start. Yes, they were struggling early on with handling the ball, but once they had shaken off any bum numbness from the coach trip, they worked hard for each other, both ends of the court, and worked as a solid unit. Mersey may need to look at that themselves, in order to get a foundation to build on and get that win – but there’s not much time.

Next up

Mersey Tigers at home to Newcastle Eagles, Friday 1st March, 7:30pm tip-off, Knowsley Leisure and Culture Park

London Lions at home to Manchester Giants, Sunday 24th February, 5:00pm tip-off, Crystal Palace National Sports Centre