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Basketball Wrap-Up: Men, Women Playoff Push Ends in Second Round
Posted: Mar 03, 2024

Basketball Wrap-Up: Men, Women Playoff Push Ends in Second Round

by Cerwin D Haynes

 

East Los Angeles College men and women's basketball teams made a return to the 3C2A State Playoffs, winning their first round games last Wednesday and going on the road Saturday for the second round. Both teams qualified for the playoffs depite battling a myriad of injuries to key players, some having been lost for the year.

The women traveled to Costa Mesa to take on the defending State Champion Orange Coast College Pirates, while the men trekked to Culver City to take on the West LA College Wildcats.

 

WOMEN: OCC 81, ELAC 73

A physical and closely-contested battle saw the Huskies give the defending champs everything they had. In the fourth quarter, East LA tied the game at 65 thanks to a Lupe Vazquez layup with 5:35 left. ELAC nemesis, Orange Coast's Bridgette McIntyre, then scored the next five points for OCC that sparked a 9-1 push for OCC for a 74-66 lead with 2:48 to go. ELAC stumbled offensively with repeated turnovers, but eventually responded with five straight points to draw within three, 74-71. After OCC's Sabrina Lopez converted a layup, Vazquez again made a tough drive to the basket for another lay-in, again drawing ELAC within three at 76-73 with 1:10 left and the game still in the balance. Unfortunately, the Huskies would score no more: OCC scored the final five points of the game to close things out. 

The Huskies shot well for the game at 50.9%. But thanks in part to 25 turnovers by ELAC, Orange Coast had 15 more shot attempts. This, and giving up 15 offensive rebounds, helped to allow the defending champs to beat the road Green with volume shooting (30-72 FGs, 13-38 3FGs) inside and out. Speaking of volume, Vazquez led all scorers with 30 points, but the sophomore wing - who had been averaging 9.6 three-point attempts in February - only shot 2-5 from downtown thanks to stifling perimeter defense. Orange Coast seemed determined not to let Vazquez beat them from deep.

Sophomore F/C Makaia Smith arguably had her best game as a Husky: 23 points (9-16 shooting) and 17 rebounds along with three blocks.

 

MEN: WLAC 95, ELAC 88

Two years ago, East LA rode into West LA College for the right to advance to the State Championships, and West LA won.

The Huskies were looking to avoid having their season end again in Culver City - this time in the second round of the 3C2A SoCal Regionals. With a 55-41 lead at halftime, it looked like the Pack was ready to finally hunt down the Wildcats. In the second half, West LA used various fullcourt trpas and pressures to rattle Husky ballhandlers. East LA turned the ball over 15 times as they had trouble at times advancing the ball upcourt. Between that and a curious case of free-throw shooting discrepancy (14 FT attempts for ELAC, 30 for West), West LA slowly eroded the road Green's lead until a pair of Marland Harris free throws tied the game at 76 with 6:09 left. Both teams would go back and forth for the next three minutes, as the game was again tied at 82 on a pair of Daniel Michelini-Jackson free throws. West's Blake Lander then converted a layup to go up two, and after a couple of ELAC turnovers, Eric Wright Jr. made two more from the line to put ELAC down by four with 1:21 left.

Brandon Wilson hit a three to close within 86-85, but on the Wildcats' next possession, Michelini-Jackson was called for contact on Wright Jr. as he attempted a three. Wright Jr. made all three from the line to again put East LA in a four-point hole with 39 seconds left. Sophomore G/F Gregory Melvin missed a three on the Pack's following possession, and West LA responded with a rebound and then driving dunk by CJ Hardy for a 91-85 lead with 21 seconds left. 

After East LA burned a timeout, freshman F Dylan Godfrey quickly nailed a three-ball to close within 91-88, but now ELAC had to foul West to stop the clock - and hope for some misses at the charity stripe. Hardy was immediately fouled, but he hit both from the line to push WLAC's lead to 93-88. With one last gasp, Michelini-Jackson missed a three-pointer with eight ticks left. Hardy again hauled in the board and was immediately fouled. He hit both with five seconds left to ultimately give the game it's final score. Another Huskies playoff run ended by West LA.

ELAC shot over 51% from the field for the game (31-60 FGs, 51.7%) and shot even better from downtown (10-18 3FGs, 55.6%). But West LA outscored them 54-21 in the latter period thanks to some key numbers:

  • East LA committed 15 of their 18 turnovers in the second half.
  • West LA also nudged East LA in rebounding, a 34-32 advantage which included a 15-11 edge on the offensive glass. 
  • Free throws - this was arguably the biggest difference in the game. ELAC shot well from the line, going 16-19. But West had 32 more free-throw attempts, with 30 of their 51 free throw attempts came in the second half. To wit: while East LA shot 13-14 from the the charity stripe in the latter half, West shot 23-30.

Freshman G Daniel Michelini-Jackson led ELAC with 22 points on 6-12 shooting (3-5 3FGs) and 7-8 from the line. Sophomore super-sub Brandon Wilson came off the bench for 14 points while adding five rebounds and two steals. Dylan Godfrey scored 12 points and grabbed five boards. West LA's Blake Lander led all scorers with 28. 

 

HUSKY BITS/UP NEXT:

Both coaches Bruce Turner and John Mosley will again hit the recruiting trails hard to find the next new wave of talent.

  • Women's basketball will need to replace four of its five starters as Vazquez, Smith, Karis Saguchi and Sasha Capers all graduate. Coach Turner has a good building block in freshman F/C Asiah Harris, and PG Aliyah Contreras should be back healthy after missing most of the year with a knee injury.
  • Men's basketball will lose nine, including starters Jalai Okeith, Shemar Morrow and Gregory Melvin, as well as the aformentioned Wilson. But Coach Mosley has major scoring set to return in Godfrey and especially Michelini-Jackson, who led this year's team in scoring average. In addition, the team will look for PG Donjae Lindsey to return next year from a foot injury that's kept him out all of this season.