Bulldogs secure first home league win in mature performance over London Lions II

Barnet raced out to an early lead and never looked back, reaching the 100-point mark for the first time this season.

Will Farquharson

There’s no place like home.

Having lost narrowly to Oaklands Wolves in their first home league fixture of the season, the Bulldogs bounced back with a dominant victory on Saturday over London Lions’ development side.

Just as they did last week, Barnet controlled the contest from start to finish, with Sable Cooper at the heart of everything good about the Bulldogs. The hosts were boosted by the return of fan-favourite Drey Brown, who made up for lost time with a combative performance in his first appearance of the season.

Despite not having played a single minute for Barnet this season, Brown made his way straight into the starting five, highlighting the trust he has earnt following two standout seasons in North London. His inclusion was the only change from last weekend’s commanding win over CoLA Southwark Pride.

The Lions, meanwhile, made three changes from their victory over Sussex Storm, with only Malek John and Onome Anyanwu keeping their place in the starting lineup.

The widespread changes seemed to be playing a part early on. Barnet got out of the blocks strongly, but were helped by some poor defensive rotations from the visitors. Throughout the first quarter, the Lions gifted their opponents open look after open look, and were inevitably made to pay.

With two minutes to go in the period, Darren Ainembabazi connected with a three to extend his side’s lead to 16 points. The Lions coach desperately pleaded with his players to up their concentration levels.

The away side did improve to begin the second quarter, with young guard Haydin Edwards-Meade offering a spark off the bench. Offensively, things were more cohesive; but defensively, the Lions had no answer for the Bulldogs. Cooper’s 3-pointer made it five buckets from five Barnet possessions to start the second.

The Lions coach, meanwhile, was still furious. Asa Oyerinde received an earful for not moving the ball, and he would not be the last to bear the brunt of his coach’s frustrations. The passion was admirable, but with his bench looking dejected, a more comforting approach felt advisable.

The Bulldogs continued the onslaught to begin the third. Vinnie Monaghan, who ended the game with a double-double, cleverly set up Levi Ehiorobo for a breakaway dunk having smartly provided for Chuck Duru earlier in the contest.

Barnet were now playing some of their best stuff of the season. As is so often the case, excellent defence was paving the way for easy looks on offence, with the hosts killing their opponents in transition. A simple Monaghan lay capped off a 12-0 run and led to a Lions timeout.

Edwards-Meade, who was comfortably his team’s most threatening player, kept up the fight. The tricky ball handler ended the game with an impressive 20 points (8-15 FG), including an Iverson-esque crossover and midrange in the fourth.

Cooper, however, would finish the contest as the pick of the guards. The Ohio native nailed all eight of his shots from inside the arc and did not commit a single turnover, looking in total control throughout. With time running out, his well-executed pass set up youngster Harvey Pymont-Narnor for his first bucket as a Bulldog, putting the finishing touches on a 111-64 win.

Barnet will now look forward to a double header this weekend, with Greenwich Titans in the league on Saturday, followed by NBL2 side London United in the cup on Sunday. London Lions II, meanwhile, will host Barking Abbey.