Teesside Lions battle hard in 81-53 season-opening loss to Leicester Warriors
- Ben Sedgwick
- Feb 6
- 3 min read
Updated: Feb 27
Teesside Lions opened their NBL campaign against the Leicester Warriors, falling 81–53 but showing clear signs of potential.
The Lions took the first points of the game through an imposing offensive rebound and finish from new signing Emmanuel Adeniyi.
The Warriors responded quickly, knocking down a tidy corner three and, on the very next possession, finishing a contested layup at the rim.
Zakariah Missouri started hot for Teesside, swishing a step-back midrange shot, sinking two free throws, and converting a difficult reverse layup in traffic.
Fiotan Rodgers also began brightly, getting an early three to fall.
The Warriors played aggressively in transition and consistently broke through Teesside’s defence before it had time to set. The Lions turned to midrange pull-ups late in the first quarter but continued to struggle to score. The period ended 25–12 in Leicester’s favour.
In the second quarter, the Warriors kept finding success by driving and kicking to the wings, while securing multiple offensive rebounds around the Teesside basket.
Benas Maldutis entered the game and shone on both ends of the floor, grabbing a steal and taking a charge defensively. He demonstrated his versatility on offence by hitting a midrange pull-up and draining two threes.
Charlie Smithe found a rhythm late in the quarter, knocking down a three and finishing an inside layup.
At half-time, the Lions trailed 30–43.
Beau Sproul opened the third-quarter scoring for Teesside with a buzzer-beating three, but the Warriors continued to penetrate the paint and extended their lead to 20 points.
Missouri added his first points of the half with a drive and layup, followed by a converted free throw. However, Leicester’s guards kept slipping behind the Lions’ defence, stretching the deficit to 24.
Frustration set in as Teesside committed back-to-back offensive fouls.
Sixteen-year-old Jaydon Wise-Malcolm entered late in the third quarter. He attempted a soaring dunk but was fouled in mid-air.
Although both free throws bounced out, he responded with a strong post hook on the next possession, showing strength and finesse. The quarter ended 70–40.
With the Warriors maintaining stout defence, the Lions continued to settle for midrange shots but struggled to convert them. Their offence improved slightly when they increased inside pressure, with Missouri and Wise-Malcolm adding to the scoring.
The game finished 81–53 in favour of the Warriors.
Teesside Lions chairman James Thomson expressed optimism despite the defeat.
He said: “This is a project where we have a young and exciting team. I and Coach Bojev are very much looking forward to watching this develop.”
Wise-Malcolm reflected on his performance: “I thought my performance was all right. I came on with six minutes left, got two layups, and some free throws…”
Looking ahead, he added: “Hopefully, I’ve put myself in a position to get a bigger role on the team…”
⭐ Player Ratings (presented by AI)
Starters
Z. Missouri — 6.8
13 pts, 5 reb, 3 ast, good FT%, heavy usage. Efficiency poor but contributed across the board.
W. Day — 2.4
0 pts on 0/6 shooting, minimal impact besides 1 reb/1 ast/1 stl, strongly negative +/−.
B. Sproul — 6.2
3 pts, 7 reb, 2 ast, 2 stl, solid defense and rebounding but poor scoring efficiency.
O. Adeniyi — 5.4
3 pts on 1/11 FG, strong rebounding/assists, but scoring inefficiency heavily lowers rating.
S. Forster — 4.9
2 pts, 3 reb, low minutes, minor contributions; efficiency okay but impact limited.
Bench
G. Groves — 5.8
4 pts, 5 reb, 1 ast, decent activity but modest efficiency and negative +/−.
B. Maldutis — 7.0
10 pts on solid shooting, 2 stl, 1 ast, good efficiency and energy contribution.
S. Gakuba — 0.0
Did not play (0:00).
Z. Lawson — 3.2
0 pts, limited stats in 7 minutes.
J. Wise-Malcolm — 6.3
4 pts, 2 reb, 2 ast, 2 stl; versatile contributions in limited minutes.
C. Smythe — 7.8
5 pts, 4 reb, 1 ast, 3 stl, great defensive impact and efficient offense.
F. Rogers — 8.1 MVP
9 pts, 6 reb, 1 ast, 1 stl, 1 blk, very strong all-around game with decent efficiency.
📊 Summary Table
Player Rating
Z. Missoui 6.8
W. Day 2.4
B. Sproul 6.2
O. Adeniyi 5.4
S. Forster 4.9
G. Groves 5.8
B. Maldutis 7.0
Z. Lawson3.2
J. Wise-Malcolm 6.3
C. Smythe 7.8
F. Rogers 8.1
S. Gakuba N/A
All photos credit to Cuff Photography.
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