Strong Bounce Back Win for ELAC Over #25 Santa Monica

by Cerwin D Haynes

We all know the saying, "don't cry over spilled milk".

East LA College Men's Basketball head coach John Mosley has his own version of that cliche. He will frequently shout to his players during games, "next play!" It's how he gets his guys to not dwell on whatever mishap that just happened during a game and refocused on the present moment. 

It would have been easy for the team to dwell on last week's close loss to defending State Champion Fullerton. Instead, the team regrouped to face another quality opponent in the #25 State-ranked Corsairs of Santa Monica College. The Pack seized the opportunity by taking control in the first half and opening up the game in the second for a commanding 92-65 win. Freshman F Dylan Godfrey led all scorers with 19 points on 9-12 shooting (including 1-2 from three-point range).

The Huskies made their first big push in the middle of the first half. Leading 21-18 at the 10:30 mark, ELAC reeled off a 14-0 run to boost their lead to 35-18 with 5:11 to go. The Pack turned up the defensive pressure during that run, forcing a series of missed shots and turnovers, and was also helped by Santa Monica shooting blanks from the free-throw line (SMC was on 10-20 on FTs for the half). East LA would ultimate hit the lockers at half up 40-26.

In the second half, the Huskies wrested full control of the game during a quick two-minute stretch midway through the period. After a pair of Corsair made free throws (55-40 ELAC lead), the home Green scored 11 straight points: freshman G Daniel Michelini-Jackson nailed two consecutive three-balls (including drawing a foul on the first three and making the and-1 free-throw), sophomore G Brandon Wilson converted a lay-in off an offensive rebound by Michelini-Jackson, and freshman F Esteban Mann slammed home a dunk off a pass from Wilson. The lead was pushed to 66-40 with 10:48 left, and the Huskies were never threatened again.

The Huskies improve to 4-5 on the season while Santa Monica drops to 7-7.

HUSKY BITS

• Five Huskies scored in double-digits. In addition to Godfrey, sophomore F Gregory Melvin (10 points), Michelini-Jackson (11 points, 2-3 3FGs), Mann (10 points, 5-6 FGs), and Wilson (10 points, 5-7 FGs) all pitched in.
• Unlike recent previous seasons where ELAC deployed at least one or two stout rebounding bigs, the Pack have had to resort to a "pack" mentality tending to the glass. They outrebounded SMC 47-38, although the Corsairs had a 20-15 advantage on the offensive boards.
• East easily outshot SMC 54.3% to 31.3% from the field. And the Huskies shared the ball well, assisting on 26 of their 38 made baskets.
• Sophomore G Hassan Hughey had a strong floor game off the bench. He scored eight points and had a game-high six assists to go along with four rebounds and four steals.
• Santa Monica was led by sophomore PF Elijah Scranton and sophomore SG Jahveon Medearis - each had 14 points.
  • Corsairs starting PG, sophomore Thomasi Gilgeous-Alexander, led the team in assists with five. He happens to play the same position as his older brother, superstar All-NBA PG Shai Gilgeous-Alexander of the Oklahoma City Thunder.

UP NEXT:

East LA - after enjoying a two week respite at home - hit the road again after Christmas. They'll make their annual trip down in El Cajon (San Diego area) starting next Wednesday for the Cuyamaca College Classic. The Huskies will return to the "E"rena in two weeks to host Compton College on January 3.