Leicester Riders won their third title of the season as they beat London Lions 78-75 to take the BBL play-offs.
Geno Crandall led the Riders with 23 points and seven rebounds, and was instrumental in their win. Centre Darien Nelson-Henry added 15 points.
London, who started the better team, were led by 29 points from Isaiah Reese and 14 from Dirk Williams.
In a final full of scoring swings, Crandall’s control of the game in the final quarter proved decisive.
Lions raced out to a 27-17 lead from the start as they crowded the league’s most valuable player Crandall in the opening quarter, with Reese scoring freely at the other end.
Crandall then came back at them in the second quarter to lead the league winners to a 46-39 half-time lead with the help of Nelson-Henry’s 11 points.
London again made a good start to the second half as the home crowd got behind the team. Lorenzo Cugini hit two threes in an eight-point run to give Lions a lead that they held for three minutes into the fourth quarter.
London took almost six minutes to score in the final quarter but responded to be only 74-73 down with 1:44 remaining, when Reece scored.
He and Crandall exchanged baskets before Reese missed what was to prove the vital shot for London.
“As you come to the end of games like this, I kind of expect to have the ball in my hands,” said Crandall after Leicester’s triumph. “Sometimes I feel I need shoot the ball, sometimes I pass it, I just have to make it up as it goes along.”
