Santa Cruz Warriors forward Jackson Rowe (44) takes aim against the South Bay Lakers at Kaiser Permanente Arena in Santa Cruz on Sat Nov 30, 2024 (photo from Santa Cruz Warriors X)

By Michael Roberson

SANTA CRUZ, Calif. — The Santa Cruz Warriors (4-4) got their own post Black Friday bargain, by defeating the South Bay Lakers (3-5), 89-76, on their home court.

The Warriors got off to an ominous start to the game, by being blindsided by the visitors from Southern California. SBL went on a 9-0 run after the game was tied at 2. The Lakers also scored the first basket of the game.

The Warriors did not let their guests just take over the game immediately. They went on a come back push and cut the deficit all the way to one at quarter’s end. After 12 minutes of play, the Lakers led 25-24.

Santa Cruz took 13 seconds to put themselves in front in the game, after the leading scoring center, Kevin Knox II hit a 3-pointer. That was their first lead of the contest, which they held onto for the rest of the half, including a 12-point margin.

The Warrior led by four at intermission, 52-48. They presented two players with at least 10 points in the first 24. The aforementioned Knox led with 14 points, while forward Blake Hinson contributed 10 points off of the bench.

The Lakers also had two players reach that plateau, Vincent Valerio-Bodon chipped in 11 points, and center Kylor Kelley added ten points and five rebounds.

In the third stanza, the Warriors opened up the lead again to 12 points. Know and Hinson were still the leaders of the Warriors’ charge, Despite the double-digit lead, SBL cut it to five after 36 minutes of basketball action. After three, the Warriors led 68-63.

The final segment of the game, SCW reached their largest advantage, 15 points. Besides improving their gap by 10 points, they managed to win the game by 13. The Sellout crowd was delighted when the final horn sounded, and the Warriors were the victors. When the 48 minutes elapsed, the Warriors won 89-76.

Four Warriors were in double-figures in scoring, with another one point away. Knox II (18), Reece (16), with 10 rebounds and seven assists. Blake Hinson gave the team 15 points and seven rebounds, while Jackson Rowe put in nine points, but had double-digit rebounds (10).

The Lakers had three players with the ten point criteria, Vincent Valerio-Bodon (23), Kylor Kelley (16) and 9 rebounds. Grayson Murphy (13) and nine rebounds., and DaJuan Gordon scored eight points and grabbed a game-high 12 rebounds.

The Warriors are next in action December 5 in Tempe, AZ to take on the Valley Suns. The Lakers head up to Oregon December 2 & 4 for two games against Rip City Remix.

Note: The highly anticipated LeBron “Bronny” James appearance in Santa Cruz , did not come to fruition, due to his “Home Games Only” policy during his G-League stint.