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By RON GUILD, Sports Editor 24.JAN.08

While the preseason wasn’t very successful, conference play, fortunately, may be another matter for the East L.A. College men’s basketball team.

After going 6-14 in nonconference play, the Huskies opened South Coast Conference North Division play Friday with an 87-86 victory over Pasadena City. It was only their second win in the last 12 games.

They had gone through a 2-7 stretch in which they lost two games at the buzzer and another in the final 30 seconds.

ELAC coach Rob Rivera hopes they can build on the victory.

“Our execution in the last four minutes of the game was a sign of growth and hopefully a sign of things to come,” Rivera said. “It’s no longer about what’s behind us, it’s what’s ahead of us.”

Freshman forward Ralph Nevarez had 20 points and 21 rebounds and Benjamin Clyde blocked a layup at the buzzer to preserve the victory.

Freshman point guard Kertd Elisaldez hit two free throws with 3.9 seconds left to give ELAC an 87-86 lead. Harold Cleveland (26 points) had given the Lancers an 86-85 lead with a three-pointer at the 12-second mark. But it was Cleveland who had his layup blocked as time expired.

Freshman guard Jerry Santos added 20 points, four assists and two steals for ELAC, which hosts Mt. San Antonio at 7:30 p.m. Friday. Mt. SAC is 8-11 overall and 0-1 in the SCC North Division. Elisaldez added 17 points.

The Huskies hit 25 of 32 free throws.

Earlier this season at the L.A. City College Tournament, ELAC defeated Mt. SAC, 60-53.

“That was a long time ago and Mt. SAC is a much better team now,” Rivera said. “They’ve got some good athletes and are going to play hard. The conference is good and will not be a cakewalk for any team, not even Trade Tech. We’re going to have to be ready to play every game.”

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A 22-0 second-half run by El Camino College proved the undoing of Cerritos College last Friday in a South Coast Conference South Division men’s basketball opener.

The Falcons (11-11 overall) climbed to within 58-53 with 7:13 left on a three-point basket by Travele Jones (Inglewood High School grad) before El Camino went on a tear that produced an 80-60 victory.

Cerritos’ only game this week was Wednesday’s road battle at Long Beach. The Falcons return to action Jan. 30 by hosting L.A. Harbor at 7:30 p.m.

Jones had 17 points, five rebounds and five blocked shots and Aaron Thompson (Washington Prep) had nine points and six rebounds. Darrell Thomas (King-Drew) had six points.

Thompson is averaging 18.1 points per game, third best in the division.

Marquise Wright paced El Camino with 24 points and nine rebounds.

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

The Cerritos College women’s basketball team (16-8, 1-0) opened SCC South Division play with a 66-35 rout of El Camino (7-13, 0-1). The Falcons went on a 35-13 run in the second half to break the contest open.

Genesis Lewis (Paramount) and Maltresa Neely (Downey) each scored 14 points for the Falcons. Neely also had 14 rebounds to help Cerritos outboard the Warriors, 57-32.

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Pasadena established a school single-game record in its 110-42 rout of East L.A. in an SCC North Division opener. Lynette Jacobs scored 31 points on 13-for-19 shooting from the field (5-for-8 on three-pointers) as the state’s eighth-ranked Lancers improve to 20-3.

Megan Iloff, a freshman from Montebello, led ELAC (7-13) with 25 points and 12 rebounds.