South Bay Falls to Agua Caliente in Western Semis Nail-Biter

The South Bay Lakers matched with their in-city rival Agua Caliente Clippers in the Western Conference Semifinals of the G-League Playoffs. Unfortunately for the Lakers, the Clippers got the better of them, 112-110, in the back-and-forth single elimination contest.

Despite the loss, SBL did not go quiet into the Thursday night.

The offensive prowess of Mac McClung, Mason Jones, and Paris Bass led the Lakers to a solid first half of play.

McClung posted 15 points on 6-of-9 from the field, knocked down three triples and added seven assists and six rebounds in the opening 24 minutes, while Jones and Bass added a combined 23 points.

Trailing by seven with three minutes left, South Bay closed the second quarter on a 15-5 run and took a two-point lead into halftime.

The Clippers came out with a ferocious third quarter and outscored SBL 35-27 in the frame and took a six-point lead into the fourth. Brandon Boston Jr. and Xavier Moon scored 18 of ACC’s 35 points.

South Bay immediately erased the deficit and grabbed a three-point lead early in the fourth frame before the Clippers responded and the race to last shot wins was on.

SBL led by four with four minutes left in the game before the Clippers responded with a clutch floater from Keaton Wallace to give ACC a two-point lead in the final minute. Jones would miss a three-point attempt and the Clippers would take on the finishing touches at the charity stripe to come away with the victory.

Six different Clippers finished with double-digit points with Wallace leading the team with 23 points, nine rebounds, and six assists.

Jones led all scorers with 33 points and tacked on four rebounds and four assists. McClung (18 PTS, 10 REB) and Bass (29 PTS, 12 REB) each registered a double-double with Mac leading all players with 42 minutes of game time.

With the loss, the South Bay season comes to an end.