South Bay bounces back, blows out Mexico City Capitanes

EL SEGUNDO, Calif. — Sometimes the best response is immediate.

Two nights after an uninspiring loss to the same opponent, the South Bay Lakers delivered their loudest statement of the season, dismantling the Mexico City Capitanes 125-95 on Saturday night at the UCLA Health Training Center.

It was a wire-to-wire performance that looked nothing like Thursday’s defeat. From the opening tip, South Bay played with urgency, pride, and purpose — exactly what head coach Zach Guthrie challenged his group to rediscover.

“We have a group of very proud players in that locker room,” Guthrie said. “We went into the film room, and we had everyone talk out on what wasn’t good enough last game.”

The message landed.

Despite ball security continuing to be a point of emphasis — the Lakers committed 15 turnovers in the first half — their offense was simply overwhelming. South Bay buried Mexico City with shooting, ball movement, and pace, taking a 24-point lead into halftime while shooting a blistering 52.2 percent from three-point range.

The second half told an even cleaner story. The Lakers tightened up offensively, committing just four turnovers after the break and finishing with 19 total. Every starter scored in double figures, and South Bay closed the night shooting 52.3 percent from the field and 47.5 percent from beyond the arc.

Luke Goode set the tone early.

The forward caught fire in the first half, pouring in 17 points and spacing the floor relentlessly. Goode finished with 23 points on 6-of-10 shooting from three in 33 minutes, providing the spark that helped South Bay blow the game open.

While the starters were steady, the bench delivered the knockout punch.

Arthur Kaluma led all reserves with a dominant performance, scoring efficiently and confidently. Kaluma went 5-of-6 from three-point range and finished with a team-high effort in 28 minutes, leading a Lakers bench that outscored the Capitanes 49-23. Tevian Jones added 15 points in 23 minutes, continuing South Bay’s depth advantage.

Defense was just as decisive.

The Lakers hounded Mexico City into 20 turnovers, recording 16 steals and turning defense into offense all night. The Capitanes were held to 40.5 percent shooting from the field and just 26.7 percent from deep, never finding rhythm as South Bay’s lead ballooned to as many as 30 in the second half.

Boo Buie III led Mexico City with 20 points, five assists, and four rebounds, but the Capitanes struggled to keep pace on either end.

Rebounding also proved to be a key separator. South Bay controlled the glass, outrebounding Mexico City 48-38 and consistently winning second-chance opportunities and transition battles.

By the final buzzer, the outcome was long decided.

The win moves the Lakers to 6-6 on the season and provided a much-needed reset after a difficult stretch. More importantly, it showed how quickly things can change when focus meets execution.

South Bay will look to carry that momentum forward as it prepares to host College Park on Tuesday night.