By Marcus Camacho
The East Los Angeles College basketball team did something they haven’t done in about 42 years, win a conference championship. ELAC finished 20-9 overall and 9-4 in the South Coast Conference North Division.
The Huskies ended their season with an, 86-81, double overtime second round playoff loss to Citrus College.
ELAC got the ball rolling early in the season when they won eight straight games, six during two tournaments, the 42nd Annual Riverside Holiday Basketball Tournament and a tournament at Pasadena City College.
At Riverside, ELAC beat San Bernardino Community College for the second time in the season as well as Mt. San Jacinto College and Los Angeles Pierce College.
ELAC also beat Rio Hondo College and Moorpark College during the streak.
The Huskies were fifth-best in the state among California Community Colleges when it came to offensive rebounds, averaging 15.7 per game. ELAC also tied for sixth-best in the state with defensive rebounds, averaging 27.4 per game.
ELAC came in at No. 3 in the state in total rebounds with an average of 43.1 per game.
ELAC forward Aaron Cheatum was No. 20 in the state in rebounds and also blocked shots. He averaged 8.9 rebounds per game and added 41 blocked shots.
Cheatum 259 total rebounds (88 offensive and 171 defensive) during the season was No. 12 in the state .
ELAC forward Zach Hinton grabbed a total of 262 total rebounds. His 106 offensive rebounds were ninth-best in the state.
See the East Los Angeles College Campus News, Issue 15, for the complete story.
