Basketball Flyers fall short against London Lions
BRISTOL Flyers could not battle back after falling behind early against the visiting London Lions in the British Basketball League.
Michael Miller led Flyers with 19 points, while Lions’ Dirk Williams led all scorers with 21 in his side’s 90-80 victory at the WISE Campus, Filton.
A high-scoring first half for the Lions saw them build a 22-point lead. Lions guard Isaiah Reese controlled the first half racking up double figure scoring and dishing out five assists by half-time.
Flyers struggled with turnovers early in the game, finishing the first half with 11. London capitalised, scoring 15 points from these turnovers.
Bristol came out more composed and battled back in the second half. Miller took control of Flyers’ offence and made sure they found better looks at the basket.
Ultimately, the improvement in the second half was not enough to bring the game back within Bristol’s reach and strong shooting from London helped them to close out the game.
TURNING POINT FLYERS held Lions scoreless for a three minute stretch early in the third quarter and went on a 9-0 run to narrow the deficit. Offensive rebounding and second chance scoring opportunities were key in shifting the momentum. Flyers tenacity and improved defence in the second half kept them in the game despite a difficult opening.
PLAYER OF THE GAME MALCOLM Delpeche had an 18-point, 10-rebound double-double and was effective playing both power forward and centre with the frontcourt rotation limited by injuries. The high-scoring night was complemented by doing a little of everything - the big man added two assists, one block and a steal to his stats.
» This report first appeared on www.bristolflyers.co.uk.