Bristol Flyers’ record win streak in the British Basketball League (BBL) came to a disappointing end as they were once again comfortably beaten by London Lions.
The Flyers went into the top-of-the-table clash on Sunday having extended their run of victories to a magnificent seven, by grinding out a well-earned 81-75 dub over Newcastle Eagles on their home court at SGS College Arena on Friday night.
However, the Copper Box Arena in the capital’s Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park - where the Lions had previously mauled them by 35 points earlier in the season - proved once more to be an unhappy hunting ground for the Flyers, as they were defeated 82-64.
Their latest setback against the league leaders - who also knocked Bristol out of the BBL Cup in the semi-finals before winning the competition - would have been especially galling for the Flyers, given some key players from London’s stacked roster of talent - including former Houston Rockets and LA Clippers forward Sam Dekker.
The Flyers had their chances to lay a glove on the Lions in the early goings of this one, with the home side not at their best and their discipline letting them down, with the whistle-happy referees calling three technical fouls on the home side in the first quarter alone.
The officiating took centre stage in a bizarre opening frame, when a Lions bench player was T’d up for walking on to the court during play to adjust a tangled net. Another tech was also mistakenly dished out to another London replacement for dissent, only for it to be withdrawn, when it transpired the father of Lions guard Luke Nelson - who was sat in the stands just behind the bench - had made the remark.
Near the end of the first quarter with the Lions up by four points, Flyers big Leslee Smith was clattered to the floor but no foul was called. The ball ended up in the hands of sharp shooter Nelson, who made a four-point play when he drained a three from near the logo and was fouled in the act of shooting by Corey Samuels.
While they trailed by six at the start of the second period, it was during this ultimately decisive 10 minutes stretch that it all fell apart for the Flyers. Bristol only mustered eight points during the quarter, which they lost by 14, meaning they were stuck by 20 at the half.
On either end of the floor, the Flyers couldn’t live with the length provided by the Lions 7ft centre Josh Sharma and former Sacramento Kings and Denver Nuggets big Kosta Koufos, who finished with a double double of 18 points and 11 rebounds.
Opting with a ‘five out’ offensive strategy - where all five players start out of the paint at the start of a play - Flyers guards Mike Miller and Jelani Watson-Gayle struggled to pick out teammates in space as London’s towering scramble defence smothered any good looks. The Flyers were often forced to chuck up tough contested shots after iso plays, with London finishing 18-8 up in the assist category.
When they did draw fouls the Flyers only shot 52 per cent from the line (10/19), while from beyond the arc they shot 33 per cent (6/18), compared to London’s 41 per cent, with hot hands Nelson and Aaron Best combining for eight of the home team’s 12 threes.
Crucially, the Flyers did not handle the rock well, coughing up 15 turnovers to the Lions’ eight. Bristol players were visibly frustrated by their struggles, as they appeared to call each other out on the court, as London built a lead that grew as high as 27 points.
But, as we have come to expect from this tough-nosed team that prides itself on playing hard defence and its ‘never say die’ attitude, the Flyers refused to roll over. They were much improved in the second half, which they ended up winning after edging both the third and fourth quarters by a single point.
The dogged Thomas Bell III was typically combative on both ends of the floor. The forward finished up with 16 points, eight boards and a steal. He ducked and weaved through the tall timber in the paint, drawing fouls and putting his body on the line when he copped a strong elbow from Sharma.
Guard Tevin Olison scored 13 points in both games over the weekend, draining corner threes and scrambling for loose balls in a display of committed defending.
Also catching the eye against both London and Newcastle was Watson-Gayle, who’s fine season has been rewarded with a call-up to the Great Britain national side for the FIBA World Cup qualifiers against Belgium and Serbia at the end of the month.
The rookie didn’t miss a single shot from the field as dropped 16 points off the bench against the Eagles, in front of a sell-out home crowd and acting Team GB head coach Marc Steutel, who is also in charge of Newcastle.
He followed that with 17 points and seven boards against the Lions, as he provided one of few the offensive sparks for the Flyers against their talented opponents, who have impressed in European competition this season
Speaking to BristolLive after the Newcastle game, Watson-Gayle said: “It’s an honour to be called up really. Any time you can represent your country and be recognised as one of the best players in your country is a good feeling.
“I’ve got a lot of belief and confidence in myself. I’ve put in a lot of work, and I’ve been playing at a high level for some time. But I still feel like I’m scratching the surface. I need to be better with my consistency and just playing at a high level on a consistent basis, night in, night out.”
The Flyers go into the international break second in the BBL league table, with a record of 18-7 and 11 regular season games left to play.
The team have only dropped two games in front of their home fans this season. The buzz surrounding the team’s successful season so far has seen them sell out all five of their remaining home regular season games.
Head coach Andreas Kapoulas praised the Flyers faithful for creating an “electric” atmosphere at SGS on Friday, adding it was hard to hear the shot clock buzzer over the noise they generated.
“It shows there is a real appetite for basketball in Bristol and certainly speaks great about our team and the performances everyone is recognising. Selling out so far in advance is awesome. We certainly need the new venue as soon as possible, you can tell that, even though it’s a couple of years away.”
