Late Free Throws End Skid as Huskies Clip Wildcats

by Cerwin D Haynes

(thumbnail and image by Mario Villegas) 

East LA College Women's Basketball snapped a six-game losing streak by upending fellow LACCD school West LA College, 60-57. ELAC (3-7) trailed West LA (5-5) for most of the game, but the Huskies stayed close enough to make their push in the fourth quarter. The Pack sealed the win with defense and free-throw shooting late. Freshman PG Moriah Mosley led East LA with 20 points - her high-water mark for the season - while adding eight rebounds, three assists and three steals. Sophomore G Derricka Millinghaus hauled in a double-double with 15 points and 14 rebounds while adding three blocks - the last of which helped seal the win.

In the fourth quarter, the Huskies trailed 50-47 with 8:58 left when they finally made their move to take the lead. Freshman F/C Olivia Paramo hit a floating lay-in to cut the deficit to one. Then after forcing a missed layup by West, Mosley hit the first of her two fourth-quarter treys to give ELAC a 52-50 lead with 7:31 left. West LA F Bahiyjaui Allen scored a layup to tie the game, but soonafter Mosley responded with her second three-ball for a 55-52 lead with 6:44 left. West LA would retake the lead minutes later as one-time Husky Kennedee Rankin scored a layup to give the Wildcats back the lead, 56-55, with 3:49 to go. Freshman G/F Sarah Ramos would ultimately answer a minute later, hitting a jumper to regain the lead for the Pack 57-56. A Rankin free-throw tied the game again, and both teams took turns missing shots. Ultimately, Ramos herself got to the line, stealing the ball from Wildcats' G Aliyah Young and then drawing contact as she drove in for a layup attempt. Ramos nailed both free throws to put ELAC up 59-57 with 56 seconds left. 

The Huskies missed two opportunities to put the dagger in West offensively within the final minute, so they had to rely on their defense. Up 60-57 with four seconds left, West LA G Aliyah Young missed a game tying-three but teammate Andrea Hinton corralled the offensive rebound and tried to put the ball back up quickly. The shot was blocked by Derricka Millinghaus and recovered by sophomore F/C Asiah Harris (1 pt, 10 rebs) to seal the win.       

• Rankin played 14 games for the Huskies back in 2022-23. She led all scorers tonight with 26 points. 
• Neither team shot well: WLAC hit on only 34.9% of their shots while ELAC made only 23% of theirs. But ELAC forced 24 turnovers and got to the line 29 times (making 21) which buoyed their shooting struggles. 
• Huskies Freshman G Kaden Saguchi had a game-high five steals.
• With tonight's win, ELAC head coach Bruce Turner is now at 297 wins with the program. 

NEXT UP:

It's the Pack's annual trip up to San Francisco as they're set to once again play in the City College of San Francisco Golden Gate Classic next Thursday through Saturday. Their first opponent will be host CCSF on Thursday.