South Bay Wins Regular Season Home Opener

The South Bay Lakers played their third game of the regular season against the Birmingham Squadron as they won, 113-107, on Thursday night. Scotty Pippen Jr. led the Lakers (1-2) in scoring with 22 points. Kelan Martin and Javonte Smart paced the Stars (1-4), scoring 28 points each.

After going down by five early, South Bay quickly got back into the game and into the lead in the first quarter. Bench scoring led the way for the Lakers with guard Scotty Pippen Jr. scoring seven, and Cole Swider hitting two three-point shots to give him six in the quarter. South Bay carried a 32-27 advantage into the second period. Kelan Martin led Birmingham in first quarter scoring with 12 points. The second quarter was all Jay Huff’s. The Virginia center was impacting nearly every opposing shot at the rim, enabling South Bay to get out in transition, leading to several emphatic dunks. Huff had 10 points, four rebounds and one block at the half. Martin provided 18 of his own for the Squadron. The Lakers took a 13-point lead into the break, 61-48.

Quarter three was a game of runs. Initially, South Bay looked to be cruising, building their lead to as many as 17. However, the Squadron responded with a quick 11-0 run to cut the Laker’s lead down to just six midway through the quarter. The lead was cut to as low as two before the Lakers built back a five-point advantage going into the final frame. Kalob Ledoux led the way for Birmingham in the third with eight points. Fabian White Jr. scored seven in the period. The Lakers led 87-82 going into the closing quarter.

Two quick turnovers to start the fourth quarter for the Lakers sparked another 11-0 run from Birmingham to give them a three-point lead early in the quarter. South Bay found themselves down by seven with five minutes remaining. Then, an ensuing 8-0 run enabled them to regain a one-point lead. South Bay never looked back, closing the game out 113-107.

Huff put together a final line of 20 points, seven rebounds, and two blocks. Shaq Harrison added eight points, 12 rebounds and 13 assists, the latter both career highs. Pippen Jr. added 22 points and 12 assists while Max Christie scored 17 points and grabbed nine rebounds. Six Lakers scored in double figures. For the Squadron both Martin and Javonte Smart put up 28, while Ledoux added 22 of his own.

South Bay’s next game will be a rematch against Birmingham on Saturday, January 7, at 5:00pm from the UCLA Health Training Center.