Huskies Hold off Tenacious Compton

by Cerwin D Haynes

East Los Angeles College men's basketball returned home late Saturday fresh off another successful trip down at the Cuyamaca Classic, looking to keep their win streak going as they look to build momentum towards conference play which is only three weeks away. Tonight, they welcomed the Tartars of Compton College, a team that the Huskies have handled easily the past two seasons.

That was not the case tonight: Compton was tough and plucky, making the Huskies work for every possession. The home Green (8-5) did manage to stave off a late push by the Tartars (5-8), closing the door on Compton 86-76. Sophomore F Gregory Melvin led all scorers with 19 points (8-10 FGs, 3-5 FTs) while adding six rebounds and five steals.

ELAC built their lead in the first half on good shooting from the field (58.6%) and from the free throw line (11-11 FTs). Freshman G Daniel Michelini-Jackson, getting his first start of the season, powered the Huskies in the half with 11 points (5-8 FGs, 1-4 3FGs) and seven boards. In the second half, the Pack had an early opportunity to take a firm hold of the game: up 57-44 at the 17:22 mark, Melvin stole the ball from Compton F Jake TenBerge, leading to a fast break where he passed the ball ahead to sophomore G Jalai Okeith, who streaked ahead and found himself all alone going towards the basket. Unfortunately, Okeith missed the open layup, TenBerge rebounded the miss and passed upcourt quickly to G Malvin Payero, who buried a three-pointer from the left wing. A five-point swing that signified Compton's refusal to be put away early. The game got scrappier on both ends as the Huskies got dragged into a mudfight of sorts, and it allowed the Tartars to gradually chip away at East's lead. When Compton G Tamajay Washington nailed a three-ball with two minues to go, it whittled ELAC's lead down to four, 80-76.

But the Pack let them get no closer. Sophomore G Brandon Wilson answered on the Huskies' next possession with a 14' jumper to give ELAC a 82-76 lead. Compton then had three cracks to score on their next possession: a layup that was blocked by sophomore G/F Javion Langston but recovered by the Tartars, a missed three-pointer, an offensive rebound, then another missed three-pointer. Freshman G Kamren Williams finally snagged the rebound for ELAC, got fouled, and made 1-of-2 from the free throw line to put East up by seven with 1:01 left. Compton gave it one last shot - a missed three-ball by Payero rebounded by Williams - and Melvin made a layup on the other end to put this one to bed.

HUSKY BITS

• Brandon Wilson scored an efficient 16 points off the bench (6-7 FGs, 4-4 FTs) with six rebounds, a steal and a block. He continues to be a major sparkplug off the bench for Coach Mosley.
• Michelini-Jackson finished with 15 points and nine rebounds.
• Malvin Payero led Compton with 18 points (5-11 FGs, 3-7 3FGS, 5-7 FTs) while adding four rebounds, four assists and four steals.
• With the scrappy play came plenty of turnovers from both teams. Compton had 24 while ELAC committed 17.

UP NEXT:

The Huskies will head out to Long Beach City College Friday to take on the Vikings at 5pm as the South Coast Conference North-South Division Crossover continues.