SAN FRANCISCO — The Hawks were calm and strong in the first few minutes of the game. They led 9-8. Since their last game against the City College of San Francisco (CCSF), the Hawks had improved to a pace they thought matched the Rams.
Freshman wing Ted Bigg-Wither made two huge blocks off the jump. The court immediately felt the presence of his large frame. Sophomore guard and leading scorer Jaden Woodard created pressure on both ends of the floor.
It was too good to be true.
Four and a half minutes into the first half, San Francisco’s freshman center and usual starter Kenyon Demuynck took the floor for the first time. The moment the game really started.
Demuynck established the differences between the two teams. Bigg-Wither fell from an established shot-blocker to a practice cone — he had no way to counter DeMunyck’s speed and explosiveness.
The Rams’ defense efforts ramped up. Woodard, along with the rest of the Hawks, looked lost. Every drive was met by Demuynck, who seemed to be everywhere at once.
The result: The Rams took a 10-point lead after less than five minutes of Demuynck’s presence in the game. At halftime, it ballooned to 15 points.
It was just a taste of what was to come. The game was sealed.
“It wasn’t working the way we wanted to work,” Woodard said. “It was too far gone.”
The Hawks fell yet again to the CCSF 82-63 on Friday, Feb. 20, swept in the season matchup. The Rams finished their conference schedule undefeated, adding yet another conference championship to their resume.
The result paralleled the last meeting between the Hawks and the Rams. After only five minutes, the Hawks fell victim to the Rams’ dominance. The Rams’ pace and composure proved too much to handle for Las Positas.
“I don’t even need to watch this game,” Giacomazzi said. “I know what happened. I don’t think we did anything very good at all. I thought they dictated the pressure and the tempo, and we weren’t physical or calm enough to handle that pressure.”
The stakes for this game were much higher than a simple regular-season finale. One game behind the Rams in the conference standings, the Hawks had a chance to finish tied for first in the conference. Something they’ve never accomplished.
It was also a chance for one final declaration — that entering the postseason, this year’s team could truly compete for the title. Instead, the matchup proved how far they still have to go.
A key weak point that highlighted their lack of fight against the Rams was their shooting. Their total of 63 points tallied twenty less than the Rams, who average 85 points per game — which ranks 9th overall. If Las Positas wants a shot at a repeat run to the Elite Eight, refinements to the offense are essential.
The Hawks appeared well-structured in the first half. In the first 30 seconds, Bigg-Wither was aggressive on the ball, getting two key possessions by the first minute of the game. It kept the Rams away from the hoop.
The Hawks put up a brief fight, only to show glimpses of early defeat soon after. The ball kept slipping from Las Positas’ fingers, at one point resulting in the Hawks failing to score at all for over two minutes. The Rams showcased the same skills exhibited in the previous meeting: preparation, speed, and flashiness.
Giacomazzi thought the team abandoned the game plan at the first sign of adversity.
“I just think any time we had a little adversity, the game plan went down with the ship,“ Giacomazzi said. “If we had stuck to the game plan and executed it better … we’d have been in a much better shape in the first half.”
The second half of the game was the nail in the coffin. The Hawks were out of breath before they could even step back onto the court. It was a blowout, the same way the Hawks have lost to the Rams previously. They’ve lost by a combined 28 points in the two matchups.
“We wanted to keep it simple,” Woodard said. “But it just didn’t really end up that way. We just strayed away from what we wanted to do. We got sped up.”
The Rams once again showed the Hawks the skill level required to truly compete. They are the established juggernaut.
This win increased the Rams’ number of conference titles to 21. They’ve won a record five State Championships, including four in the last ten seasons. They enter this year’s postseason as the No. 1 team.
Meanwhile, the Hawks remain a step below. A top-ten-ranked team that has proven it can make a run into the Elite Eight. But they just can’t hang on after that.
The next step for the Hawks is to figure out how to compete against the best of the best. This year’s team still seems a step behind.
Since their first meeting this year, the Rams’ leading point scorer, DeMuynck, has continued increasing his production. Since late January, DeMunyck has had consistently productive games, including a 109-54 win against Ohlone, in which the center scored 17 points. He has scored in double figures every game since the Rams last faced Las Positas, and currently averages 13 points per game. He scored nine against Las Positas in this matchup. A force that the Hawks failed to beat.
“If we’re not going to throw the ball and we’re not going to block out a rebound and be physical, then it doesn’t much matter what we do,” Giacomazzi said. “You have to have an identity about yourself, and a willingness to be dirty and grimy and gritty and not make excuses. And we were full of excuses today.”
The Hawks weren’t mentally prepared for the matchup, and it was visible. The Rams’ pacing and physicality outdid Las Positas’ usual strength and strategy. In order to overcome huge obstacles like this in the postseason, Giacomazzi must prepare better shooting teams.
The Rams rank fifth overall in the conference in three-point shooting, averaging 10 per game. The Hawks’ Achilles heel showed itself: They only rank 83rd overall.
“We responded to their offense by trying not to let them shoot,” Woodard said. “But they just kept shooting, and we couldn’t stop it.”
“Guards were rattled. Couldn’t take care of the ball,” Giacomazzi added. “We were having a hard time passing and catching it. They looked nervous. They looked rattled, and I wouldn’t have anticipated that.”
San Francisco is widely viewed as the team to beat for the state title. This defeat will send the Hawks into the postseason knowing what is required. For them to make a push to the Elite Eight or further, this game must serve as a wake-up call.
To be true contenders, they must beat those who have proven capable of winning titles.
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TOP PHOTO: The final game of the season was a tough 82-63 road loss against rival CCSF — San Francisco, Calif. Feb 20, 2026. So. guard Jaden Woodard finishes the regular season as the team’s leading scorer — averaging 18 ppg for a total of 505 points on the season. (Photo by Ian Kapsalis/The Express)
Annie Moore is the Sports Editor of The Express. Follow her on X @SanJosAnnie.
