It was a Sweet 16 party for the Mob on Saturday night as they crushed two more opponents to finish the regular season with a spotless 16-0 record. Neither game was ever in question. They beat the Rumble by 40 points (75-35) and Gryphons by 38 (88-50) in the Main Event. The Mob won every game during the regular season by 13 or more points, including nine by 30-plus and two by at least 40. In the nightcap, Darius Clark (Blue Springs, Mo.) set a Slam Ball single-game record with 44 points, breaking Ty McGee’s old mark by one. The playoff picture got a little brighter on Saturday with the Gryphons securing one of the remaining two playoff berths and the Rumble being eliminated for postseason contention. Yet to be decided on Sunday: the final playoff participant and the recipient of the second bye.
Game 1 – Gryphons 65, Wrath 63
In one of the wildest games of the season, the Gryphons slid by the Wrath, 65-63, with some more crunch-time heroics from Justin Holmes (Roseville, Calif.). With four seconds remaining, Holmes launched himself over the Wrath’s Greg Helt (Denton, Tex.) and slammed the ball through the hoop to provide the winning points. It was his second game-winning slam of the year; his overtime Face Off dunk downed the Rumble on August 4. The Wrath had a chance to steal the victory with under a second remaining but Ty McGee (Littleton, Colo.) lost control of the ball on a Face Off, effectively ending the game. KyShawn Jones (Danville, Va.) led the Gryphons with 32 points while Holmes added 18. Matt Wilkerson (Citra, Fla.) was credited with seven stops. McGee was unstoppable until the final seconds, generating 38 points, his fifth game of the year with 30 or more.
Game 2 – Mob 75, Rumble 35
The Mob made quick work of the Rumble in the second game on Saturday evening, jumping out to 24-5 lead en route to an easy 75-35 win, their 15th without a loss this season. The 40-point victory margin tied for the second-largest for any team this season. The Mob’s win eliminated the Rumble (1-8) from the playoffs and put the Gryphons into the postseason. Cam Hollins (Avon, Ind.) led the Mob’s scoring parade with 26 points, going 9-for-9 on rim attacks. For the fourth time this season, Gage Smith (Elizabeth, Colo.) had double digits points in both stops (13) and loose ball recoveries (13).
Main Event – Mob 88, Gryphons 50
The Mob’s quest for a perfect regular season faced little resistance from the Gryphons in Saturday’s Main Event. The Mob cruised to a 48-23 halftime lead behind 22 points from Darius Clark, rolling to an 88-50 victory and an unblemished 16-0 record. The 88 points by the Mob were the most by any squad in a game this year. Clark finished the game with a SlamBall single-game record 44 points, going 16-of-23 from the field with 12 dunks. The Gryphons were not at full strength on defense and it showed. Adam Stanford (Fontana, Calif.) was thrust into the stopper position after Matt Wilkerson suffered a shoulder injury in the first game. Clark was not interested in discussing his 44-point outburst. “The individual points don’t matter,” said Clark. “The main thing is to be around this family and win games. If we win a championship on Thursday, then I’ll be satisfied.”
The Mob will be back in action in Thursday’s first semifinal game against the winner of the No. 4 vs. No. 5 seed quarterfinal matchup. The Gryphons, who will be either the No. 5 or No. 6 seed, will play a quarterfinal game on Tuesday.
SlamBall’s final regular season session throws down on Sunday, August 13 at 3:00 p.m. PT/6:00 p.m. ET on ESPN+.