A fantastic four for the London Lions in the Women’s British Basketball League Trophy.
Thanks to 15 points and eight rebounds from MVP Megan Gustafson, the Lions successfully defended the Trophy with an 83-67 win over the Essex Rebels in Birmingham on Sunday afternoon.
Playing in their first final since making the jump from the Women’s National Basketball League in 2018, Essex played with grit and determination, proving to all just how far they have come. They were led by 15 from Dayzsha Rogan.
Starting Fives:
London Lions: Ivana Katanic, Holly Winterburn, Megan Gustafson, Temi Fagbenle, Karlie Samuelson
Essex Rebels: Claire Paxton, Katherine Tudor, Megan Haines, Dayzscha Rogan, Darcy Kay Rees
First Half
The London Lions began the Betty Codona Trophy Final just as they have most Women’s British Basketball League games this year: big bodies banging for buckets.
Temi Fagbenle and Gustafson got things going with a few scores inside before Essex Rebels responded with Rogan pulling up for a jumper.
Teammate Katherine Tudor brought Essex even, and Renee Busch stopped London from building momentum with a big three.
A timeout gave the defending champions from London the chance to recommit on defence and kickstart an 11-0 run, which helped put the Rebels down 26-13 heading into the first quarter break.
The Lions have size at all positions, and guard Faye Endean’s block – the fifth of the game for London – to start the second quarter proved just that.
It led to an out-of-position Rebels defence, which Abby Meyers took full advantage of, with a successful drive to the rim while being fouled, plus the free throw.
Essex’s Tyra Whitehead has the size and strength to compete with London’s bigs, and she successfully backed down Katsiaryna Snytsina for a well-defended fadeaway in the lane.
Savannah Wilkinson responded immediately for the Lions with a couple of buckets of her own.
Fagbenle used her height to drop in a hook shot over a physical defence, which put the Lions up 19.
Not willing to give up the chase, Rogan’s big three started a 9-0 comeback for Essex, topped off by Tudor hitting a three, plus a foul to bring the Rebels within 10.
This is when London went back to the bigs.
Fagbenle and Gustafson took over down the stretch, using their size to receive floating passes over the top of defenders for scores.
Rogan still wasn’t backing down.
On a defensive switch, the tallest Lion on the court – Fagbenle – took on the smallest Rebel, but Rogan danced on the perimeter until she created enough space for a step-back three to keep her team within 13 as the teams entered the locker room.
Second Half
Whatever coach Ashley Cookson said to his Essex Rebels at the half inspired them to be more aggressive.
His side came out on fire, hitting a couple of jumpers, and more importantly, driving into contact.
Megan Haines scored a pair of free throws, and Tudor followed this up with a tough drive of her own, which sent London’s Holly Winterburn to the bench with her third foul.
But the Lions turned to their own shot-maker to slow down their opponents. Karlie Samuelson hit a patented three off a Meyers assist that put the leaders back in the driving seat going into a timeout.
Katanic put the lead back up to 20 before the end of the third period with a layup at the rim.
Essex had their work cut out for them to win the Trophy Final, but veteran Snytsina started the fourth well for London with a jumper.
From there, the reigning champions never faltered.
In the fourth-quarter, Essex had heart until the final buzzer, but it wouldn’t be enough to pull victory from the jaws of defeat.
Trophy MVP
Playing in her first Betty Codona Final, Megan Gustafson scooped MVP honours with 15 points and eight rebounds, shooting 7/10 from the field in just 20 minutes action.
| Team | Player | Points | Rebounds | Assists |
| London Lions | Megan Gustafson | 15 | 8 | 0 |
| London Lions | Temi Fagbenle | 13 | 2 | 0 |
| Essex Rebels | Dayzsha Rogan | 15 | 5 | 2 |
| Essex Rebels | Megan Haines | 12 | 3 | 3 |