PF Jaree Crawford scored 19 pts and three other players scored in double digits for #8 East LA as the Huskies won a key SCC Crossover game Wednesday evening against visiting LA Harbor.
Crawford sat much of the first half in foul trouble, and Harbor Ctr Kieth Mason had a tremendous game for the Seahawks, but East LA (17-6, 6-3) hit 11 3-pointers on the night and shot 52% from the floor in the second half to get the win.
East LA came into the game having lost 2 of 4 games since knocking off then-#1 ranked Mt. San Antonio. Meanwhile, LA Harbor (10-11, 6-3) had recently reached the .500 mark after a tough 4-8 start before conference play started.
Wednesday's game started off as a duel between Mason, who scored the first 4 points of the game for Harbor, and Crawford, who answered with 5 straight points for ELAC. Mason then converted a 3-point play to give Harbor a lead. SG Dushon Carter put the Huskies back in front, but moments later Crawford picked up his 2nd personal foul and went to the bench for the remainder of the half.
Still, the teams played on mostly even terms the rest of the first half. Harbor took a 13-10 lead after a steal & lay-up by PG Donnell Drain, but East answered with a 7-0 run to go back in front. The lead went back and forth the rest of the half until East LA went on an 8-0 run, started by a 3-pointer from Ctr Aaron Cheatum, to take a 33-26 lead. SF Tony Bell made two free throws and passed to SG Shane Smith for a lay-up in the final minute of the half to get the Seahawks within three points at the break, 33-30.
When the second half started, PG Chris Brown converted a 3-point play for East LA to push the Huskies' lead to six at 36-30. A 3-pointer by PG Mazen Harris Javier made it a 7-point game at 42-35. Harbor got within two points at 43-41, but then East LA pushed its lead to nine points at 52-43 after 3-pointers by SG Frankie Aguilar and Carter.
A Crawford 3-pointer increased East LA's lead to ten points for the first time all night, making it 55-45, and the Huskies also led by ten points at 61-51 with 5:14 left. Harbor made one last rally when Mason made two free throws and then moments later scored on a short jumper after spinning through the lane to make it 61-55. A basket by PF Sheldon Blevins off a pass from Mason made it 62-57 with 3:40 to play.
But then East LA went on an 8-0 run to put the game away. Carter scored on a driving lay-up with 2:30 left, and added one of two free throws with 2:01 left to make it 66-57. Cheatum made two free throws with 1:42 remaining to make it 68-57. Brown added two more free throws with 1:24 left to make it 70-57, and East LA led comfortably the rest of the way.
Crawford led East LA with his 19 pts, 14 of which came in the 2nd half, and he added 6 rebs. Carter had 13 pts. Brown had 11 pts and a game-high 6 asts. Cheatum had 10 pts and a team-high 8 rebs. Javier and Aguilar each came off the bench for 9 pts and combined for 5 three-pointers. Javier also had 5 asts and 2 steals.
For Harbor, Mason had a tremendous game with a game-high 28 pts on 10-for-16 from the floor while adding a game-high 10 rebs plus 4 asts, 4 steals and 2 blocked shots. But Bleavins, who came off the bench for 13 pts, was the only other Seahawk to score in double figures, and no Seahawk made a 3-point basket.
box score
Wednesday, February 6, 2013 - 6 pm
at the E-Rena, East LA College, Monterey Park
South Coast Conference
LA Harbor Seahawks 66:
1-Tony Bell, SF - 2/4 fg, 3/4 ft, 2 reb, 1 ast, 3 stl, 3 pf, 7 pts
3-Shane Smith, SG - 1/3 fg, 0/1 ft, 4 ast, 2 pf, 2 pts
5-Andre Foster, PF - 1/5 fg, 1/2 ft, 4 reb, 4 pf, 3 pts
15-Kieth Mason, C - 10/16 fg, 8/11 ft, 10 reb, 4 ast, 2 blk, 4 stl, 4 pf, 28 pts
22-Donnell Drain, PG - 3/7 fg, 1/2 ft, 4 reb, 2 ast, 4 stl, 2 pf, 7 pts
4-Anthony Foster, G - 0/3 fg, 2/2 ft, 3 reb, 1 ast, 3 stl, 4 pf, 2 pts
2-Sheldon Blevins, F - 5/7 fg, 3/4 ft, 4 reb, 4 pf, 13 pts
10-Landen Brown, G - 0/2 fg, 2/2 ft, 1 reb, 2 ast, 1 pf, 2 pts
25-Aubrey Myers, F - 2/2 ft, 1 reb, 3 pf, 2 pts
23-Kenneth Greene, G - 0/3 fg, 1 reb, 1 ast, 0 pts
team rebounds: 3
Totals: 22/50 fg (.440), 22/30 ft (.733), 33 reb, 15 ast, 2 blk, 14 stl, 27 pf, 66 pts
3-pt fg (0): None
Turnovers (18): Mason 5, Andre Foster 3, Drain 3, Anthony Foster 3, Blevins 2, Bell, Brown
East LA Huskies 75:
1-Elson Vessel, SF - 1/1 fg, 1 pf, 2 pts
3-Chris Brown, PG - 2/7 fg, 7/7 ft, 6 ast, 3 pf, 11 pts
20-Aaron Cheatum, C - 2/7 fg, 4/6 ft, 8 reb, 2 ast, 3 blk, 1 stl, 5 pf, 10 pts
22-Jaree Crawford, PF - 6/13 fg, 5/8 ft, 6 reb, 2 ast, 3 pf, 19 pts
23-Dushon Carter, SG - 3/6 fg, 5/10 ft, 5 reb, 1 ast, 1 pf, 13 pts
35-Robert Ponce, F - 3 reb, 0 pts
10-Mazen Harris Javier, G - 2/3 fg, 3/4 ft, 1 reb, 5 ast, 2 stl, 1 pf, 9 pts
42-Zach Hinton, F - 0/1 fg, 1 reb, 1 blk, 1 stl, 4 pf, 0 pts
2-Frankie Aguilar, G - 3/5 fg, 1 reb, 1 stl, 9 pts
24-Brandon Otero, F - 1/2 fg, 1 reb, 1 pf, 2 pts
team rebounds: 0
Totals: 20/45 fg (.444), 24/35 ft (.686), 26 reb, 16 ast, 4 blk, 5 stl, 19 pf, 75 pts
3-pt fg (11): Aguilar 3, Cheatum 2, Crawford 2, Carter 2, Javier 2
Fouled Out: Cheatum 1:10 left
Turnovers (18): Carter 6, Javier 4, Ponce 3, Brown 2, Aguilar 2, Hinton
Halftime Score: East LA 33, LA Harbor 30
Updated Records: East LA (#8-South, #15-Calif) 17-6 overall, 6-3 in SCC; LA Harbor 10-11 overall, 6-3 in SCC
ELAC led the entire second half. Harbor got within 5 at 62-57 with 3:40 left, but then ELAC went on an 8-0 run to clinch the win.
