Hawks lose in Sweet 16
LPC’s bid to make history fell short Wednesday night in Livermore.
Seeking to become the first Hawks team ever to reach the Elite Eight of the state tournament, LPC lost 87-81 to College of the Sequoias in the third round of the Northern California regional playoffs.
With the loss, the #4-seeded Hawks finished their season—which was highlighted by school records for most conference victories (8) and highest conference finish (3rd), along with a 10-game winning streak—with a 19-10 record in Coach James Giacomazzi’s first season at LPC. Their chance of advancing to the state Final Four, which will be held at LPC on March 11-13, also ends.
Sequoias, the #5 seed, has a chance to return to LPC for the Final Four if they can win their matchup Saturday at top-seeded City College of San Francisco. The Giants (20-11) should feel at home at LPC after bouncing the Hawks out of the playoffs for the second straight year in Livermore.
They won Wednesday by overcoming a 13-point first-half deficit and breaking open a close game with a 14-1 spurt down the stretch. It didn’t hurt that Sequoias shot 86 percent (25 of 29) from the free throw line, while LPC only converted 45 percent (9 of 20).
Kameron Johnson and Cameron Moses led the Hawks with 16 points each, while Brandon Eboigbodin scored 15, and McKayle Harnell added 14. Moses, Eboigbodin, and Harnell, all sophomores, played their final game for LPC.
With the Hawks leading 41-28 late in the first half, Sequoias scored the final 6 points of the half to enter the locker room down 41-34. That momentum carried over into the second half as the Giants outscored LPC 13-4 to begin the half and take a 47-45 lead.
After the teams traded baskets, Eboigbodin scored on a rebound basket, Harnell hit a three-pointer, and Eboigbodin converted a layup off a steal by Harnell to put the Hawks up 54-49. It was 66-62 LPC before the Giants scored 7 straight points to retake the lead at 69-66 with 5 minutes remaining.
Moses sandwiched a drive and two foul shots around a Sequoias bucket before the roof caved in for the Hawks. The Giants scored 8 consecutive points, then after a Keith Hunter free throw, they scored the next 6 points. When the dust settled from that 14-1 run, Sequoias led 85-71 with 44.6 seconds left.
To their credit, the Hawks kept fighting, scoring 10 of the game’s final 11 points, but it wasn’t enough.
