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M. Basketball Fri, Feb 21 Final
at Skyline
77
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at De Anza
67
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vs Ohlone
72
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M. Basketball Wed, Feb 12 Final
vs Canada
92
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M. Basketball Fri, Feb 07 Final
at Chabot
90
Elijah Mobley with the go ahead shot
phot by Alan Lewis

Hawks Defeat the Gladiators

by Matt Schwab

The Las Positas men's basketball team, ranked No. 1 in the state for the first time in program history, keeps passing tests and winning games. 

The gung-ho Hawks continued their record-breaking run by surviving a second-half surge from district-rival Chabot in a 79-73 win on Wednesday at The Nest in the Coast-North Conference. Las Positas improved to 17-0 (a program mark for consecutive wins) and 3-0 in conference as the state's only unbeaten team. 

They lead the power conference by a game over four teams.

This one against Chabot almost got away, but unity and determination made the difference.

Sophomore Sterling McClanahan (29 points, 10 rebounds) and Elijah Mobley (26 points, four assists, five steals) led the way. Mecca Okereke, a 6-7 sophomore out of Menlo-Atherton High, brought the fire in the paint with 13 rebounds and six blocks.

"Our togetherness, our culture," said Mobley, whose six points in the final 1:22 of the game helped clinch the win. "We knew we were gonna face adversity. That's a good Chabot team … Our togetherness, being together all 40 minutes, pushed us through the last five minutes."

Las Positas opened a 20-point lead, 46-26, in the first half capped by three consecutive 3-pointers by McClanahan, a dead-eye shooter who was 7 of 9 on 3s.

"That's what he does, he's a player, he's a gamer," Las Positas head coach James Giacomazzi said of McClanahan. "… He's one of or leaders, so we need him to be good."

But Chabot, ranked 18th in the state, battled back. The nifty Glads cut it to 13 by the half and kept coming after intermission. They ultimately held leads of 60-58 and 73-71 (after a clutch Zion Yeargin 3-pointer with 1:46 left) during a back-and-forth final 20 minutes. 

Las Positas finally put it away scoring the game's final eight points. Okereke came up big with a block late, preceding back-to-back baskets by Mobley. Jorren Edmonds (13 points, seven rebounds, six assists) rounded out the scoring with two big free throws.

Guard Marcellus Edwards led Chabot with 22 points, going 12 for 12 on free throws, seven rebounds and six assists before fouling out. Chabot (12-5, 1-2) suffered a blow when freshman center Christian Wilson was ejected after receiving two technicals with 8:07 left in the first half, but it is the floor generals who really make Chabot sizzle.

"They have a very good team, right?" Giacomazzi said "Those guards are really hard to guard. The three of them, they're a load."

Giacomazzi said his team lost possession of two rebounds, leading to two Chabot baskets that cut the deficit to about nine points. Still, he loves his team's ability to do what it takes.

"I thought the kids fought. The guys made the plays when they needed to on both ends," Giacomazzi said. "I thought Mecca came in and did a great job rebounding."

Elijah Mobley agreed that defense was key.

"Defense wins games," he said. "They've got good players over there. We've got to man up, get a stop, get a rebound."

Mobley heard that people thought the team would let down after its big road win over CCSF on Friday. He was determined not to let that happen.

"I felt like we had to come in here with the right mindset and just knock off Chabot," he said.