Freshman guard Ekam Sandhu stood on the perimeter. He was out of breath. It was his debut in the starting lineup. And he wanted to make it count.
With the game tied at 14-14, his moment came. He leaped in front of 6’6 Colts guard Jake Skaggs, his right hand securing the ball. On a fast break, he sprinted down the remainder of the court for an easy layup.
Then it was Jaden Woodard’s turn.
After his last performance, a lopsided loss to the City College of San Francisco, he needed to regain his footing. In the same fashion as Sandhu, Woodard was able to replicate the moment. Intercepting a pass and getting it up. The exact same situation, and finish.
Sandhu wasn’t done. He again turned defense into offense, creating an easy fast-break: 20-14 Las Positas. A sandwich of identical opportunities – the meeting point between a leader and a rising key contributor.
Following a tough 78-59 loss to the City College of San Francisco, the 20-2 Las Positas men’s basketball team picked up a win at home over Cañada, 89-60, on Jan. 30. The win saw the Hawks return to their prior form.
The resurgence was fueled by unlikely contributors. A pre-game injury to usual starter Jonathan Chapple pushed Sandhu into the starting lineup. Starting big man Ted Bigg-Wither was also forced out mid-game with an injury. The task to get the Hawks back on track fell to their subs.
They responded.
“I love Ekam. I’m proud of him,” Head Coach James Giacomazzi said postgame.
Their performance encapsulated the depth of the roster. With these Hawks, everyone pitches in. As the season winds down and the postseason nears, that depth becomes even more important.
The first half of the game was another cakewalk for the 19-1 Hawks. Despite the line-up adjustment, with Sandhu starting, the Hawks looked comfortable. They outscored the Colts 47 to 34.
“We trust him,” Giacomazzi said. “I think it’s a great addition to what we’re trying to do.”
Two nights prior, the Hawks were shown the gap between a potential contender and a proven champion. The Rams’ size, athleticism and defense shut down the Hawks’ offense and erased their usual rebounding skills. The loss was a wake-up call for Las Positas as the postseason approaches.
Bigg-Wither’s injury threatened the Hawks’ chances of bouncing back. During play, there was traffic under the net, and Woodard ended up hitting Bigg-Wither in the face. The contact forced him to sit out the rest of the game.
Bigg-Withers’ absence created a divot that Giacomazzi had to fill fast. He needed a plan and quick. The 6’9” Australian wing ranks fourth in the Coast-North Conference for rebounds and third for blocks.
“I don’t like playing without him,” Giacomazzi said. “When he’s not in, you can feel it. He settles in everybody, because he’s the anchor defensively, if you will. So when we didn’t have his real protection and him around the basket, it made it easier for people to get to the room and finish. So, yeah, we missed him a bit.”
In place of Bigg-Wither, a few Hawks stepped up to seal the cracks. Freshman wing Ely Willis took the Australian’s place initially, immediately making an impact on the floor. He made the Colts feel his presence, grabbing five rebounds and two blocks, while also leading the Hawks with four fouls.
Weary took over the boards. He finished with 15, including nine offensive rebounds. Weary is right behind Bigg Wither, ranking third in the conference for rebounds and fifth in blocks. He is averaging a steady 11 rebounds a game.
He served as the perfect crutch for a critical situation.
“I would say Kodey stepped up,” sophomore guard Richard Banks said, “because without Ted, we challenged Kodey to play harder and grab my rebounds.”
Sophomore guard Isiah Minor provided much-needed shooting. He finished with 16 points, including a season-high four made threes.
Leading the effort was Woodard. He led the game with 30 points, a new season high. After a disappointing performance in their loss to the Rams, where Woodard managed only eight points, he re-established his physical offensive presence against the Colts
“When we got buried like that, we kind of had to show. It’s a statement, bounce-back game,” Woodard said.
By the time there were three minutes left, the Colts were winded and had been outrun by the Hawks.
In addition, Sandhu showed us more than a glimpse of progress. His six first-half points ranked third for the Hawks. He finished with 10, while making all of his four attempts from the floor. Last year, he redshirted, making his performance this season stand out even more. He spent the year training. Improving. Waiting for his shot.
When it came, he made sure to make it count.
“He’s done nothing but worked hard and is maximizing everything out of his ability,” Giacomazzi said. “We trust him. We can coach him hard. He doesn’t get into feelings, and he tries to do the right thing and play basketball the right way.”
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TOP PHOTO: After the second straight turnover by Las Positas’s defence, Ekam Sandhu (No. 23) gets up for his second finger-roll layup in 45 seconds. Turning the tide — in the freshman’s first start for Las Positas — Sandhu scored 10 points against visiting Canada on Jan. 30, 2026, in Livermore, Calif. ((Photo by Ian Kapsalis/ The Express)
Annie Moore is the Sports Editor of The Express. Follow her on X @SanJosAnnie.
