#3-ranked East LA hit 13 three-pointers and took full advantage of being on its home court to end #1-ranked Mt. San Antonio's 15-game win streak Friday night in a key South Coast Conference, Northern Division game.
East LA (14-4, 3-1) nursed a tenuous lead over the last five-plus minutes, and the final margin is certainly not indicative of how close the game was. Mt. San Antonio (16-2, 3-1) missed a pair of would-be game-tying 3-pointers in the final minute, but still got within a point with 32.6 seconds to go before three turnovers in the final 3.4 seconds allowed East LA to not only hold on for the win but expand the final margin.
And the game started off somewhat strangely as Mt. SAC took what appeared to be an early 8-5 lead. The scoreboard, however, read 7-6 in favor of East LA. After two separate conferences between the table and the officials, the score was posted as 6-5 in favor of East LA with 16:07 left.
Moments later, East LA Ctr Aaron Cheatum banked in a 3-pointer, the first of the 13 the Huskies would make in their own gym, to take an 8-6 lead. Mt. SAC, which would finish with just one 3-pointer on the night, tied the game on two free throws by SF Garrett Nevels and took a 10-8 lead on a basket by Ctr Christian Mays. SG Corey Allen assisted on the Mays basket, as he had on all of Mt. SAC's previous field goals, including the one that was wiped off at 16:07.
East LA went back in front, 16-13, on a 3-pointer by SG Fred Brown, and then got a basket from SG Frankie Aguilar to make it 18-13. Another 3-pointer from "Downtown" Freddie Brown made it 25-18, and East LA stretched its lead to ten points at 32-22 after a 3-pointer by Cheatum with 2:20 left in the half.
But Mt. SAC rallied from that deficit, closing the half with a 10-0 run to pull even at the break. Nevels scored twice, including one basket on a forceful slam dunk, and SG John Haywood evened the score at 32 with two free throws with 38.6 seconds left in the half.
The lead went back and forth throughout the first few minutes of the second half, with neither team leading by more than three points, until East LA got a 3-pointer from PF Jaree Crawford to take a 55-51 lead. This despite the scoreboard on the end of the gym with the basket that Mt. SAC was attacking having a tendency to go blank, and the accompanying shot clock having a tendency to go to 03 as well.
East LA increased its lead to seven points when Aguilar hit a 3-pointer to make it 60-53 with 9:25 left. A 3-pointer by PG Mazen Javier Harris made it 65-57 with just over seven minutes to play.
Mt. SAC quicky erased most of that deficit with two fast-break baskets by Nevels and a steal & lay-up by Allen, all following a free throw by PG Hakeem Nance, for a quick 7-0 run. That made it 65-64 with 5:09 left, but Mt. SAC would never quite pull even and sure could have used those two points lost at 16:07 of the first half.
East LA maintained a slim lead the rest of the way, holding a 71-68 advantage after a free throw by SG Dushon Carter with 1:33 remaining. Mt. SAC twice got the ball to Nance in the left corner for what would have been a game-tying 3-pointer, but each shot missed. PF Cliff Sims got the rebound of the last miss, however, was fouled and made two free throws with 32.6 seconds left to make it 71-70.
Mt. SAC elected to trap rather than foul East LA, and that move paid off when Carter was surrounded near midcourt and threw the ball out of bounds with 23.4 seconds left. However, Mt. SAC was unable to take advantage of its opportunity to take the lead. As the clock wound down, Allen drove the lane but was met by the ELAC defense, and threw a pass from mid-air that was intercepted by ELAC PG Chris Brown with 3.4 seconds left.
Brown was fouled and headed to the free throw line. Then things got strange again. He missed the front end of a one-and-one opportunity, and Mt. SAC got the rebound. However, Nevels was ruled to have entered the lane prematurely, giving Brown another chance at the line. Then Mt. SAC called timeout.
During the timeout, about half the lights in the gym went out. The officials gathered at midcourt for a conference, and then spoke to both coaches, and it was agreed that the game would continue. Brown went to the free throw line and, given a second chance, made the first and then the second free throw to make it 73-70.
On the restart, Nevels caught the inbounds pass, but stepped on the sideline in front of the ELAC bench with 2.5 seconds left, turning the ball over to the Huskies. ELAC inbounded the ball to Harris, who was fouled with 1.4 seconds remaining. He missed the first - but the foul was Mt. SAC's 10th of the half, putting ELAC into the double bonus - and made the second to make it 74-70 and clinch the win for the Huskies.
Sims took the ball to inbound it, but with Mt. SAC out of timeouts was feeling the pressure to get it inbounded inside five seconds and threw it to an open space. The ball rolled the length of the court and out of bounds, giving ELAC the ball on the baseline near the Mt. SAC basket.
And then on the restart, Crawford called for the ball from Harris, who passed it to him in the left corner. Crawford hit a 3-pointer as the final buzzer sounded to close out the scoring.
Crawford finished with a game-high 21 pts, and also tied for game honors with 9 rebs, while adding 2 blocked shots and 2 steals in a strong overall performance. Cheatum had 19 pts, including 4 threes, and Carter had 10 pts and 4 asts. Chris Brown had just the two free throws with 3.4 seconds left, but dished out a team-high 9 asts.
For Mt. SAC, Nevels had a team-high 17 pts, while Allen had 15 pts and a game-high 11 asts (though one of those came on the basket that was wiped out - though we're not sure which basket it was). Sims came off the bench for 10 pts and 9 rebs to just miss a double-double, and Mays also scored 10 pts.
box score
Friday, January 18, 2013 - 5 pm
at the E-Rena, East LA College, Monterey Park
South Coast Conference - North Division
Mt. San Antonio Mounties 70:
4-Hakeem Nance, PG - 1/9 fg, 4/6 ft, 1 reb, 4 sat, 3 stl, 4 pf, 6 pts
12-Corey Allen, SG - 6/9 fg, 3/3 ft, 4 reb, 11 ast, 3 stl, 2 pf, 15 pts
23-Christian Cooper, PF - 4/5 fg, 0/2 ft, 2 reb, 1 blk, 3 pf, 8 pts
25-Garrett Nevels, SF - 7/11 fg, 2/2 ft, 2 reb, 2 ast, 1 blk, 4 stl, 17 pts
32-Christian Mays, C - 5/7 fg, 0/1 ft, 5 reb, 1 ast, 1 blk, 2 pf, 10 pts
22-Cliff Sims, F - 4/8 fg, 2/2 ft, 9 reb, 1 ast, 3 pf, 10 pts
3-Andrew Ortiz, F - 0/1 fg, 2 reb, 1 ast, 1 pf, 0 pts
33-John Haywood, G - 1/3 fg, 4/4 ft, 4 reb, 1 ast, 3 stl, 1 pf, 6 pts
11-Daniel Morales, G - 1 reb, 0 pts
42-Josh Hopkins, G - 0/1 fg, 0 pts
34-Kacy Barlow, F - 1 blk, 1 pf, 0 pts
team rebounds: 2
team points: -2
Totals: 28/54 fg (.519), 15/20 ft (.750), 32 reb, 21 ast, 4 blk, 13 stl, 19 pf, 70 pts
3-pt fg (1): Nevels
Technical Foul: Allen
Turnovers (27): Allen 6, Nevels 5, Cooper 4, Sims 3, Haywood 3, Mays 2, Ortiz 2, Nance, team
East LA Huskies 77:
1-Elson Vessel, SF - 1/1 fg, 1 ast, 2 stl, 2 pf, 3 pts
3-Chris Brown, PG - 0/4 fg, 2/2 ft, 3 reb, 9 ast, 3 stl, 3 pf, 2 pts
20-Aaron Cheatum, C - 6/12 fg, 3/4 ft, 3 reb, 1 ast, 3 stl, 1 pf, 19 pts
22-Jaree Crawford, PF - 7/15 fg, 5/9 ft, 9 reb, 2 blk, 2 stl, 2 pf, 21 pts
23-Dushon Carter, SG - 4/10 fg, 1/2 ft, 3 reb, 4 ast, 2 stl, 3 pf, 10 pts
10-Mazen Harris Javier, G - 1/3 fg, 1/2 ft, 4 ast, 4 pts
2-Frankie Aguilar, G - 3/5 fg, 1 reb, 1 ast, 1 pf, 8 pts
35-Robert Ponce, C - 0/1 fg, 2 reb, 2 ast, 3 pf, 0 pts
4-Fred Brown, G - 2/3 fg, 1 stl, 1 pf, 6 pts
24-Brenden Otero, F - 2/2 fg, 1 reb, 4 pts
team rebounds: 4
Totals: 26/56 fg (.464), 12/19 ft (.632), 26 reb, 22 ast, 2 blk, 13 stl, 16 pf, 77 pts
3-pt fg (13): Cheatum 4, Crawford 2, Aguilar 2, F.Brown 2, Vessel, Carter, Javier
Technical Foul: C.Brown
Turnovers (23): Cheatum 8, Carter 4, Crawford 3, Vessel 2, C.Brown 2, Javier 2, Aguilar 2
Halftime Score: Tied at 32
Updated Records: East LA (#3-South, #7-Calif) 14-4, 3-1 in SCC; Mt. San Antonio (#1-South, #2-Calif) 16-2, 3-1 in SCC
With 16:07 left in the 1st quarter, the score was adjusted from 8-5 Mt. SAC 6-5, seemingly in error.
East LA led by 10 at 32-22, but Mt. SAC finished the 1st half with a 10-0 run to tie it.
East LA led by 8 at 65-57 with just over 7 minutes left. Mt. SAC got within 1 at 65-64 but never quite caught up.
Nance missed two would-be game-tying 3-pointers in the final minute, but Sims made 2 FTs to make it 71-70 with 32.6 seconds left.
Mt. SAC had a chance to win it but Allen's pass was intercepted by Chris Brown, who was fouled with 3.4 seconds left.
Brown made 2 FTs to make it 73-70. After another Mt. SAC turnover, Javier made 1 FT with 2.5 left to make it 74-70.
After another Mt. SAC turnover, Crawford hit a 3-pointer as the horn sounded to close out the scoring.
This ends a 15-game win streak for Mt. San Antonio.
