WBBL Championship
Caledonia Gladiators 60–79 London Lions (13-19, 13-14, 18-22, 16-24)
(Gladiators – McGarrachan 18, Adams 15, Wolf 10; Lions – Snytsina/Herbert Harrigan 18, Winterburn 14, Murray 11)
The London Lions experienced their second taste of WBBL Championship glory, after battling their way to a 19-point victory over the Caledonia Gladiators at the Lagoon Leisure Centre.
With the win, Stella Kaltsidou’s squad took home their second consecutive league title and completed a domestic treble, after lifting the WBBL Cup in January and the Betty Codona WBBL Trophy in March.
An impressive team performance got it done for London, headlined by Mikiah Herbert Harrigan and Katsiaryna Snytsina, who both recorded 18 points and five rebounds apiece.
The Lions set the pace early with slick ball movement and aggressive defensive play. Snytsina offered a threat from mid-range in the first quarter while the rest of the team scored by committee.
The Gladiators’ looked to Erin McGarrachan to respond. She did exactly that, providing a scoring punch at the beginning of the second quarter as Caledonia chipped away at the early deficit.
Though the game remained competitive, Snytsina’s sharpshooting ensured London took a seven-point lead into half-time.
When the second half began, the Lions began to pull away, with Taylor Murray, Azania Stewart and Herbert Harrigan joining the offensive onslaught.
London continued to smother Caledonia defensively as the third quarter closed, which was punctuated by an enormous Herbert Harrigan block to momentarily silence the loyal home crowd.
Overcoming a quiet night, Trophy MVP Holly Winterburn asserted herself in the game with back-to-back threes in the fourth. Winterburn took home her tenth piece of WBBL silverware at the age of 22.
Despite assured performances from McGarrachan and Tea Adams, the depth and physicality of the Lions proved too much for the Gladiators. There was real no way back for the Scottish outfit and London smoothly finalised the formidable victory.
Caledonia brought a sense of earned optimism into the game, being the only team to beat London in a hard-fought one point win back in February at the Copper Box. The loss is all that currently stands between the Lions and a second ever undefeated WBBL Championship campaign.
Miguel Angel Ortega Marco’s team now find themselves in a battle to finish second against B Braun Sheffield Sharks and Leicester Riders, as the Playoffs draws closer. They will face Essex Rebels on Sunday the 23 April.
The Lions victory lap will begin when they play bottom-placed Manchester Met Mystics on Saturday 22 April, before taking on Durham Palatinates the following day. The focus will then shift to the Playoffs and a dream quadruple.