Huskies Crush Warriors in Home Debut

by Cerwin D Haynes

(photos by Stephen Morales, @grecomeco23)

Coach Mosley and his staff have been working hard to find the right ways to tap into to talent of this season's edition of the Huskies. Conference play is around the corner, and East LA knows that they need to turn into a dominant force if they're to repeat an undefeated SCC-North run and aim for a high seed in the playoffs. With the struggling El Camino Warriors venturing into the friendly confines of Monterey Park, ELAC was presented with a prime opportunity to flash said dominance.

The hungry Huskies gobbled up their prey, beating the Warriors 111-43. Five East LA players scored in double-digits as the team assisted on 26 of their 46 made field goals, shooting 57.5% from the field while holding the Warriors to 16-45 shooting (35.6%).

The signs of a blowout were there early, but it wasn't until more than halfway through the first half where the Huskies truly enforced their will. Leading 21-10 with under 10 minutes left, ELAC showed a rare crack in their defense when El Camino's Mauricio Cruz beat the team down the court for a dunk off of a well-placed Elliot Kerley outlet pass. Mosley wasted no time in calling timeout immediately after to rally the dogs, and boy did his crew respond: the Huskies finished the half on a 24-7 run, employing a 3/4 court press on defense to force Warrior turnover after turnover as El Camino had worlds of trouble advancing the ball upcourt and into their offensive sets. This, along with a 13-2 advantage in offensive rebounding, lead to ELAC taking 23 more shot attempts than El-Co; although the Husky Green "only" shot 43.2% from the field in the half, the numerous attempts at the basket allowed ELAC more opportunities to convert and draw shooting fouls. The Pack entered the locker room up 45-19.

The second half saw ELAC continue their pressure defense while hitting 75% of their shots including 5-12 from three-point land, turning the game into highlight-reel practice for the home squad.

HUSKY BITS:

• ELAC shot nearly 78% from the charity stripe, over 15 points above their season average.
• The Huskies converted 46 field goals while El Camino only attempted 45 field goals total (making only 16).
• Amid a wave of balanced scoring, guards Tyrelle Hunt and Richard Wilson led ELAC with 14 points apiece. Wilson, off the bench, hit all four of his three-pointers and was fouled on a fifth attempt - he would go two of three from the line.
• During halftime, a presentation was given to honor the coaches and staff of the record-setting 2019-20 team.

UP NEXT

The Huskies head into the city this Friday and down towards Imperial Highway to face fellow LACCD member LA Southwest, who sit second in the SCC-South with a 10-3 record.