Bristol Flyers head coach Andreas Kapoulas described his team’s weekend as a “rollercoaster of emotions”, following a memorable victory over freshly crowned British Basketball League (BBL) regular season champions London Lions.
The Flyers welcomed in the Lions for a top-of-the table clash at SGS College Arena on Sunday afternoon, having slipped to a disappointing 106-89 defeat away to Leicester Riders on Friday night.
The Leicester loss had effectively meant the Riders had got their noses in front in the race between them and Bristol for second place in the table, and a strong seeding in the post-season play-offs but the Flyers picked themselves up, like a wounded prizefighter off the canvas, multiple times to land a knockout blow on the Lions in a thrilling 87-82 win in overtime.
It was the shorthanded champions - still stacked with talent despite missing former NBA stars Sam Dekker and Kosta Koufos - who came out swinging with an opening six-point run.
Flyers guard Tevin Olison banished the sleepy Sunday start by responding with his first made three-point shot of the game. Hot hand Olison would go on to drain six of eight from downtown, finishing up with a game-high 26 points in a scintillating and efficient shooting performance.
Led by an inspired Olison, who produced a sumptuous bounce pass assist for centre Leslee Smith, the Flyers went on an eight-point run. They led by as many as 10, before the Lions ate away at the deficit to trail by four after the first quarter.
Aside from Olison, who raced to 19 points at the half, the Flyers’ offence slowed down in a scrappy, low-scoring second frame, which London slightly edged to cut it to a one-point game going into the break.
Before the interval the Lions’ roster was further depleted, after Jonathan Komagum had to be helped off the court after falling heavily, and he did not return to the game. He later hobbled back to the opposition bench on crutches.
Both sides put in committed, hard-nosed defensive displays. The Flyers, who hang their hats on their rebounding, went after it on both ends of the floor, crashing the glass to ultimately grab 14 more boards than their opponents. A total of 14 offensive rebounds led to 13 second chance points for the Flyers - nine more than the Lions managed.
What would have concerned a typically animated Coach Kapoulas was the Flyers turning the ball over eight times in the first half, plus, the team’s rising foul count. The Lions ended up shooting almost double the number of free-throws as Bristol in the game, with Olison, centre Malcolm Delpeche and forward Thomas Bell III all getting into early foul trouble.
This led to some creative, makeshift line-ups. Flyers’ season MVP contender VJ King, who finished with 16 points and 13 rebounds, acquitted himself well at the five spot when called upon, producing a couple of highlight reel follow-up, put-back slam dunks.
The third quarter largely picked up where the second left off, in what became an increasingly tense and heated encounter. Flyers’ sharp shooter Brandon Mahan and the Lions’ Czech veteran Vojtech Hruban exchanged early three’s, followed by a four-minute period where not a single point was scored from open play.
While there was a shortage in scoring, there was no lack of excitement. A sell-out crowd gasped in amazement as King was denied a poster dunk by a jaw-dropping block from Lions guard Jordan Taylor, who shone throughout with his crafty crossovers.
The Flyers reclaimed their narrow advantage heading into the fourth quarter, after guard Jelani Watson-Gayle cleverly dribbled down the clock, before backing down his defender and drilling a three-pointer. This was to be the first in a number of clutch plays from the rookie and recent Team GB call-up, as he took over down the stretch.
A three from Taylor helped the Lions to a four-point lead and prompted a timeout from Coach K. This had the desired response, as the Flyers tied the game up, courtesy of a buzzer beater from Olison and a steal and one-handed showtime slam from Bell III.
Flyers big Delpeche scored his team’s next five points with some great work in the paint, as an enthralling final few minutes of regulation time ensued.
Lions guard Aaron Best tied the game up with a corner three, before Olison, with ice in his veins, responded with one of his own, thanks to an impressive fake.
With 52 seconds remaining the Lions found themselves back in front, after Best Euro-stepped his way to the basket and made what seemed an impossible reverse lay-in whilst being fouled, before adding the extra from the free-throw line.
The Flyers then regained the lead through Watson-Gayle, who nailed a step back three with around 30 seconds left on the game clock.
London might have thought they had broken Bristol hearts after Josh Ward-Hibbert made what looked like a dagger three on the next play, putting the Lions up two with nine seconds to play.
But it was Watson-Gayle who was the hero once again. Taking the inbound pass from Mahan, he put Ward-Hibbert on skates with a clever fake, blowing by his defender to lay it up and in, tying the score at 76-76. This sent the game into overtime and the Flyers faithful into raptures.
“I knew they would play my three-pointer hard, because I had just shot a three the possession before” Watson-Gayle told BristolLive after the game, “So I just wanted to give them a fake, and he bit on it, so I went and laid it up. Someone also sealed a defender in the paint which also helped me get a lay-up.”
The extra five-minute period got off to a bad start for the Flyers, with Luke Nelson making a big-time three. Once again it was Watson-Gayle who provided an answer, with an ‘and one’ three point play off an impressive left handed lay-up.
Some incredible scramble defence from the Flyers was capped by a brilliant denial by Delpeche, who swatted a shot out of bounds. Delpeche then fouled out, after being whistled for a block on Taylor and the lead changed hands again.
Then it was Taylor who was penalised for an offensive foul, sending Olison to the line for two clutch free throws, to put Bristol back in front. Flyers point guard Mike Miller then drove to the bucket, and while he clunked the hook shot, King arrived on the follow to put it in and extend their lead to three.
King then grabbed a key defensive rebound from a missed Taylor lay-in, before Mahan made two from the line to ice the game.
After the game Coach Kapoulas told BristolLive he was “very proud” of the response from his players, after admitting the camp had been “very low” after losing to Leicester.
The Riders now hold the season tie-breaker over the Flyers and are only two points behind them with two games in hand on Bristol. While conceding Leicester now “probably has the advantage” in the battle for second place, Kapoulas said there could be “a few twists and turns” to come.
“If we can get the second spot, great, but it was great to see us playing some really good basketball on both ends of the floor. We want to keep on building on this in the next four games, we want to be going into those play-offs with momentum," he said.
"We don't want to be a team that looks tired and wants the season to finish. We want to go into the play-offs with a team that is ready for it and wants to be in the play-off final. That has to be our mentality.”
Watson-Gayle added: “We just tried to put Friday behind us and just focus on this game. We wanted to play team basketball and get a team win, and that’s what we did. Everybody contributed today, everyone.”
