Pack Hits Second-Half Stride to Outpace Mt. SAC

by Cerwin D Haynes

(thumbnail courtesy of Angel aka shotwithav)

After coming up short last month up in Walnut, the mission for tonight's rematch at home was simple: beat South Coast Conference-North leader Mt. SAC and grab a share of first-place.

For an East Los Angeles College men's basketball team that had been a bit up and down this season, making a statement such as aiming for the conference lead was still within their grasp. And thankfully, the Huskies turned in their best second-half play of the season to take control of their path to at least a share of the conference title.

Trailing Mt. SAC 39–33 at the break, the Huskies (14-8, 5-1) flipped the script in the latter period, outscoring the visiting Mounties (20-4, 5-1) 50–32 in the second half to pull away for an impressive 83–71 home victory. Freshman G/F Imani Herring - whose minutes and production have been trending upward since mid-January - scored a season-high 20 points while pulling down nine rebounds along with a steal and a block. 

The first half was a defensive struggle for just about everyone on the floor... except for Mt. SAC's Dayvon Gates. He shot 6-10 from the floor and 3-3 from the line to lead all scorers with 16 points going into halftime. In response, the Pack honed in on Gates in the second half, forcing him to miss 10 of his next 15 shots. Meanwhile, the home Green upped their aggression and improved their offensive efficiency: ELAC's point guards - sophomore Jayden Barnes (nine points) and freshman Darrell Morris (11 points, eight in the second half) - came alive, with Morris providing much-needed spark off the bench with three steals, five assists and shooting 6-8 from the charity stripe. 

East LA also limited their own turnovers in the latter half, dominated the glass, and repeatedly converted second-chance opportunities to seize momentum throughout the period. Sophomore F Terrence Hampton was a force inside as well, posting a double-double with 14 points and 13 rebounds while anchoring the defense (two blocks), while sophomore G Landon Winston added 13 points and steady ball pressure on the perimeter. 

After Mt. SAC briefly reclaimed the advantage early in the second half, ELAC responded with a sustained run fueled by defense and rebounding. The Huskies outrebounded the Mounties 22-11 in the period while being clutch at the line, making 14-16 to calmly close the door down the stretch.

HUSKY BITS

• Gates led all scorers with 30 points.
• Both teams shot under 40% from the field in the first half. But only ELAC would vastly improve, shooting 51.5% in the second.
• With tonight's win along with their last-second win on Wednesday against LA Trade Tech, the Huskies are one game up on Trade and tied with Mt. SAC for first place. ELAC can earn at least a share of the SCC-North title by winning out their final four conference games.

UP NEXT:

Weirdly enough, East LA's next game will be a non-conference roadie... on a Monday, no less. The Pack will trek up north to the edge of Silicon Valley - Saratoga - to take on the Vikings of West Valley College (17-6) on February 9th at 3pm. West Valley made the State Quarterfinals last season, and are two years removed from their undefeated, state-championship season (33-0 in 2023-24).