The South Bay Lakers returned to home court Tuesday night looking to shake off a rough stretch - five losses in their last six - and get back above .500. Hosting the College Park Skyhawks, South Bay came in sitting at 6-6 and needing a bounce-back performance. After a sluggish start, they delivered just that, locking in defensively in the second half and walking away with a convincing 121-107 win.
Things didn’t start smoothly. South Bay fell behind early, trailing 35-24 after the first quarter.
The defense looked a step slow, and the Skyhawks were getting too many clean looks. At halftime, the Lakers were still down 68-60, and it felt like this could be another frustrating night.
Then came the turnaround.
South Bay came out of the break with a different level of intensity - especially on the defensive end. They held College Park to just 39 points in the second half, closing off driving lanes, contesting shots, and forcing turnovers. The Skyhawks shot just 39.6% from the field and a rough 28.9% from deep, and South Bay capitalized on mistakes, turning 19 forced turnovers into 29 points.
That defensive effort set the tone, but it was the balanced offensive attack that pushed the Lakers over the top. Seven players scored in double figures, and the ball movement was crisp all night. South Bay racked up 28 assists - a sign of a team playing unselfishly and finding the open man.
The starting backcourt of R.J. Davis and Kobe Bufkin didn’t have their best shooting night - a combined 11-of-32 from the field - but they made up for it by taking care of the ball and keeping the offense flowing. Between them, they dished out 11 assists to just three turnovers.
Rookie Augustas Marciulionis gave the Lakers a spark off the bench, handing out 10 assists and helping keep the offense humming when the starters sat. And in the paint, big man Kylor Kelley made his presence felt in a big way. He pulled down 11 rebounds and swatted six shots, anchoring the defense and protecting the rim when it mattered most.
This was the kind of win South Bay needed - not just to get back above .500, but to reestablish their identity. When they defend like this and share the ball offensively, they’re a tough team to beat.
The challenge now is consistency. But if Tuesday night is any indication, they’re trending in the right direction.