London Lions fought until the final whistle but ultimately came short in a close, tense Final against the Newcastle Eagles, 68-66.

The score line highlights how much of a tense affair this was, with neither team even reaching the 70-point mark.

What added to the heartbreak for the Lions was the fact that they were leading in every quarter apart from the all-important final quarter.

The Justin Robinson-less Lions came out of the blocks ready to take the fight to Newcastle, taking a 12-point lead after the first quarter.

The Eagles quickly responded and turned this game into the topsy-turvy affair it eventually was, fighting right back to narrow the Lions lead to just five points going into half time.

The lead was still just five points with the final quarter still to play, where the intensity from both squads ramped up.

In the end however, Eagles player of the game in Cortez Edwards was willing his team to victory and the Lions couldn’t contain him.

He managed an impressive double double with 22 points and 13 rebounds, also 3 assists shy of a triple double.

It was Orlando Parker for the Lions that did everything he could to keep his team in contention right until the very end.

He had the game high for points with 27, racking up a double double as well with 12 rebounds.

This was not how the Lions squad were hoping to sign off their 2020/21 campaign, however they were still able to finish the season with some silverware as well as get to three finals, showing just how competitive they have been this entire season.

The hunger will be greater than ever to build on this season’s performance to be even more successful in the future.