The Los Angeles Sparks played their fifth regular season game against the Dallas Wings on Sunday. The match which ultimately went in the Wings’ favor had the Sparks battling it out and almost making it impossible for the Wings to win at one point in time. The Sparks’ performance in the losing cause received a lot of applause because their mainstay player Layshia Clarendon could only play for 7 minutes. The Sparks guard Aari McDonald and Cameron Brink‘s teammate spoke on the challenge presented to their team and how she helped her team compensate for Clarendon’s loss.

McDonald was present during a post-game press conference on Saturday along with the rookie star Cameron Brink when she was asked a flurry of questions. One such answer that caught everyone’s attention was how McDonald took on extra responsibility in Clarendon’s absence and her answer proved that McDonald was an ideal player.

Aari McDonald on compensating for Layshia Clarendon

A composed McDonald spoke of the difficulties in her journey and how far she has come by getting a chance since Clarendon was sidelined. Her answer gave fans a glimpse of how she feels and the video of the same was posted on Inside the Wubble. It gained a lot of traction in quite a less time.

“Yeah, for one, I was confused. I was like where’s Lay but you know I just have to you know stay focused and just have the next man mentality… You know, it’s been rough for me. I just been learning but just staying confident, keep working on my game, keep growing, keep asking questions. So, I think that helped me and you know finally I know I got my moment so this is great moving forward,” McDonald stated.

Though McDonald has played all five games, she didn’t get much game time before. While she plied her trade for 23 minutes against the Las Vegas Aces, she could only play for 17 minutes against the Washington Mystics. However, in Clarendon’s absence, she got the opportunity to be one of the main guards.

In the last match, Clarendon had to exit from the game due to a head injury. In the limited 7 minutes she played, the 33-year-old scored four points and attempted 2 field goals and an equal number of free throws. Out of which, she throttled half of the attempted field goals and a cent percent free throws.

McDonald after taking over the onus smoked 9 points with three rebounds and 1 assist. Therefore, she kind of compensated completely for Clarendon’s absence. Apart from McDonald’s playing the supporting role, the main players also gave their best.

LA Sparks players show sparks of brilliance

The game was well handled by Brink, Dearica Hamby, and Lexie Brown. While Brink potted the game’s highest 21 points, Hamby thrashed 19 and Brown contributed with 12. The Sparks trailed in the first half when they could only score 42 points in comparison to the Wings’s 49. However, the home team made a late comeback in the game.

During the fourth quarter, the Sparks smoked 20 points in comparison to the Wings’s 14. The Sparks came as close as scoring 83 points compared to the Wings 84. Therefore, it was an interesting game to watch.

Fans will be keen to check if Clarendon will play the next game and hopefully, the Sparks will not miss her if she doesn’t as McDonald will cover for her. With that, the fans will also be hoping that the Sparks win their next.

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