The Las Positas men's basketball team is back in the State Championship Quarterfinals!

The indomitable Hawks took down host Modesto Junior College 78-69 Saturday nightin the 3C2A NorCal Regional finals, overcoming a five-point halftime deficit against a talented team unbeaten at home.

Elijah Mobley led the way with 26 points, five rebounds and four assists, passing the career 1,000-point total at LPC, but it was a complete team effort.

Head coach James Giacomazzi's squad is heading back to the State "Elite 8" for the first time since the 2021-22 season. As the North No. 3 seed, the Hawks will face South No. 2 Citrus at 3 p.m. Thursday at Mount San Antonio College. The winner will face either North No. 1 City College of San Francisco or South No. 4 Cerritos on Saturday, March 18, time TBD. 

Las Positas upended a formidable Modesto team in front of a hostile crowd, wearing the Pirates down in the second half with typical relentless defensive pressure.

"The kids executed the gameplan and they did it as hard as they possibly could," Giacomazzi said. "They worked very, very hard and left it all on the floor."

In addition to Mobley, Sterling McClanahan had a massive double-double with 18 points and 11 rebounds, Jorren Edmonds added 12 points, eight rebounds, three assists and three steals, and Coby Christensen stepped up with 12 points.

Richard Banks also came off the bench with active hands, getting eight points and five of the team's 15 steals.

Now that is showing up. 

The Hawks outscored the Pirates 39-25 in the second half. Giacomazzi felt the hosts got "a little tired" in the second half in a nip-and-tuck battle, causing Modesto to miss shots and free throws it would normally make. He described Modesto as "really, really good, even better than what you see on film." 

Giacomazzi is certain Elijah Mobley, averaging 19.0 points a game, is the program's second all-time 1,000-point career scorer, along with Michael Hayes, who surpassed 1,300 points. 

The Hawks (26-4) opened the playoffs with a win over Columbia, 91-80, in Round 2 at The Nest. Elijah Mobley topped the charts with 28 points, and Edmonds had a huge game with 23 points, eight rebounds, five assists and four steals. Christensen and Jaden Woodard came off the bench to score 11 apiece.

LOOKING TO CITRUS: The Hawks will face a huge challenge in Citrus (28-2), which has won 22 straight games. The Owls are the No. 1 ranked scoring team in the state.