South Bay Lakers head to the West Finals
EL SEGUNDO, Calif. — The Lakers shut down the Vipers 112-97 in the West Semifinals. South Bay heads to the West Finals to take on the Stockton Kings.
After a scare to the Clippers in the West Quarterfinals, South Bay was much sharper against the Vipers. South Bay controlled the entire game and led by as many as 19 in the third quarter. Even when Rio Grande Valley made a run, South Bay shifted momentum back into their favor.
Drew Timme was the star tonight as he tallied up 26 points by mainly operating in the low post. The rest of the team followed by getting to the rim and enforcing their will in the paint. Horns Offense vs Vipers Both teams struggled to shoot the ball from deep as neither team shot 30% beyond the arc.
Therefore, the match-up would come down to who could dominate the inside. “I love to go to horns especially versus pressure in the middle third of the floor and have as much space to operate,” said Coach Guthrie. “Horns gives you basically an unlimited number of options.
" The Lakers ran into the horns offense as it would allow Timme to operate in the high post. This would allow South Bay to have driving lanes to attack the basket. Points in the paint heavily favored the Lakers as they outscored the Vipers 66-50.