BBL Play-off, Semi-Final (2nd leg)
Cheshire Phoenix (155) 81-102 (184) London Lions (16-26, 32-58, 59-81)
(Phoenix: Jack, 34; Archibald, 14; Anderson/Ulf, 9. Black: Best/Sharma, 16; Taylor/Ward-Hibert, 14; Unni, 13)
London Lions He will meet familiar foe, Leicester Riders in the BBL Play-off Finals after turning down the valiant challenge of Cheshire Phoenix 102-81 in the semi-final second leg, at Ellesmere Port on Bank Holiday Monday.
An aerial threat on offense and defense, Josh Sharma was simply electric in London, finishing with 16 points, six rebounds and three blocks.
But not just Sharma, it was a team effort, something coach Ryan Schmidt stressed the importance of getting early momentum, after the league leaders went into the game with an eight-point aggregate lead.
Cheshire got off to a good start, with Amorie Archibald setting up attacking center Larry Austin Jr and Maceo Jacques to get a handful of early points.
However, Jordan Taylor and Tomislav Zubsic from London soon responded with some great shots of their own.
A number of changes in the opening minutes of the contest led to an exciting game, but the Lions soon began to pull away.
Capitalizing on the intensity, Lions’ keeper Aaron Best did an outstanding job of pushing the ball up, drawing the Phoenix defenders in, before setting up Luke Nelson for a wide-open shot from the wing, which left London finishing with a double-digit lead, 26-16.
The second quarter saw the Lions riot, with Josh Ward-Hibert getting three goals in just seconds of play.
The London full court defense proved too much for Cheshire, who were forced to take closely contested shots, with Sharma contributing both blocks and scoring low to help the Lions take a 26-point lead by half-time.
Despite the deficit, Jack put in a standout performance, tallying a game-high 13 points in the third quarter, successfully scoring from all-court ground, while David Uffe made a highlight in the paint.
The Phoenix turned a turnaround during the third quarter, but London’s continued defensive pressure and perimeter volleying, with Mie Oni hitting a pair of triples before the buzzer, kept London firmly ahead, 59-81.
Relentless pressure from the visitors enabled them to cruise to victory, with Sharma putting the cherry dunk ahead for London, finishing with just over 100 points to go.
The London Lions will face Leicester Raiders for the second consecutive year in the League Finals. Their third consecutive World Cup appearance.