London Lions win Championship and secure treble

By Guest Writer on April 5, 2026

London Lions secured the SLB Championship title with a 99-79 victory over Cheshire Phoenix on Sunday, completing their second treble in three seasons and becoming the first team to win four consecutive championships in British professional basketball.

The Lions moved to 22-5 with an unassailable lead at the top of the table with five games remaining, sealing the regular season title in emphatic fashion against their closest challengers at the Copper Box Arena.

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After leading 47-40 at halftime, London broke the game open with a dominant third quarter, outscoring Cheshire 30-16 to establish a commanding advantage that they never relinquished.

Tarik Phillip spearheaded the Lions’ decisive period, scoring 10 points and adding an assist during a blistering 90-second spell that stretched London’s lead beyond 20 points. The Lions’ defensive intensity forced turnovers and disrupted Cheshire’s offensive rhythm throughout the quarter.

Phillip finished with 16 points on efficient 6-of-8 shooting, including 3-of-4 from three-point range. Kameron McGusty matched that total with 16 points off the bench, while Shavar Reynolds contributed 14 points and Aaryn Rai added 12 as the Lions showcased their depth with 45 bench points.

London’s control was evident across multiple statistical categories, shooting 51% from the field compared to Cheshire’s 38% while dominating inside with 50 points in the paint. The Lions led by as many as 28 points in the fourth quarter before closing out the 20-point victory.

Cheshire were led by Jaxon Brenchley’s 20 points, with Frankie Policelli adding 14 and Tobias Cameron 13, but were unable to recover from London’s third-quarter blitz.

The championship victory completes London’s treble, following their SLB Trophy triumph over Newcastle Eagles on February 1st and their SLB Cup final victory over Manchester Basketball at the AO Arena in March. It marks their second treble in three seasons, having previously achieved the feat in 2022-23.

More significantly, the title represents London’s fourth consecutive Championship, making them the first team in British professional basketball history to achieve this feat. The Lions have now won seven of the last eight available trophies across the SLB competitions.

“It’s good recognition but we still got five games left, we have to stay focused it doesn’t change anything with our approach, we have bigger goals,” said head coach Tautvydas Sabonis. “We won, it so happens to be that we seal the number one seed but we still have five more games to prepare for the playoffs.”

With the regular season title secured, the Lions now turn their attention to the playoffs, where they will seek to complete a rare quadruple. The top seed gives them home-court advantage throughout the postseason as they chase their fourth consecutive playoff championship.

London will travel to Bristol on Friday for their next fixture as they look to maintain sharpness through the final five regular season games before the playoff campaign begins.

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