34-0.
Not many teams across all of sports can lay claim to achieving the perfect season. After their 70-45 win over Sevenoaks Suns in the Women’s British Basketball League Play-off Final on Sunday, the London Lions proved to be invincible in 2021/2022 in front of 10,928 spectators at the O2 Arena.
While the Lions entered Sunday’s contest as heavy favourites, the win certainly did not come easily. The Suns moved the ball well early and started on the front foot, but they were matched by the impressive unrelenting London defence.
After an anxious first few minutes, London found their rhythm with Holly Winterburn spectacularly finishing through the contact. The Lions began to claw back the deficit, with the likes of Shequila Joseph dominating rebounds before she went to the line to convert after fine play from Winterburn.
The Suns held a 12-7 lead heading into the second quarter, but the Lions came roaring back thanks to the hot hand of Shanice Beckford-Norton. The captain sunk back-to-back threes in style - and the O2 Arena could feel the momentum beginning to swing in favour of the unbeaten Lions, with their suffocating defence matching their offensive firepower in the second period.
Fans and players alike were feeding off the electric atmosphere, and the Suns fought back late to stay in touching distance. Renee Busch and Frankie Wurtz both struck from deep, but a buzzer beater lay-up by Beckford-Norton ensured the Lions went in at half time with a solid 30-25 lead.
Newly crowned WBBL MVP Jo Leedham-Warner ensured the Lions continued to pressure their opponents by securing a quick steal and scoring a breakaway lay-up. Winterburn then nailed an open three as London opened up a double-digit lead to the delight of the home fans packed inside the O2.
Leedham-Warner began to find her rhythm as she hit a three before another lay-up following a Winterburn assist, and it spelled danger for the Suns. Azania Stewart added another three which perfectly swished through the basket, and the Lions ended the third quarter firmly in control with a six-point lead.
The Lions continued to press home their advantage by combining crushing defence with special offensive play, highlighted by Kennedy Leonard’s three at a crucial moment in the fourth quarter. Leonard, undeterred by a mask following an injury sustained in practice, played like the fabled masked Kyrie Irving as she passionately showed what the three meant - a fist pump to the roar of the crowd suggested the Lions were edging closer to history.
When it came down to it, London showed the class and might that had been prevalent all season to secure the Play-off final win, adding the final jewel to complete an unprecedented quadruple and stake a claim as the greatest WBBL team ever assembled. It was well-deserved - the Lions outscored the Suns by 11 points off turnovers and 15 points from the bench.
Do you think the 2021/22 London Lions are the best WBBL team ever? Let us know in the comments section.
Beckford-Norton finished with a game-high 15 while Leonard was named the game’s MVP for her troubled after racking up 13 points, 5 rebounds and 7 assists. After the game, the 25-year-old joked that the mask was perhaps a blessing in disguise.
“I was telling Leah that she has to break my nose more often!” Leonard joked after the game. “I don’t think I’ll wear it again, it was just because I broke my nose and deviated my nose in practice on Thursday.”
The injury certainly didn’t slow Leonard down, and nobody could stop London this season. Let’s say it again, one more time: 34-0. Historic.
The London Lions have truly been the kings - or queens - of the jungle that is the WBBL during the 2021/22 season. Sunday was their ultimate coronation.
