REDWOOD CITY — Jorren Edmonds wasn’t thinking about redemption. But his pursuit took him that direction.
“What’s going through my mind is, ‘we need to get the ball up the court and get a shot up as quick as we can,” he said. “Just sprint the ball down the floor, get to the rim. If I miss everybody’s crashing.”
His plan wasn’t about salvaging his rough night. But as he pushed the ball up the court, his Hawks down a point, the clock inside of 10 seconds, it was clear how to make up for it. Be clutch.
That he was.
When Edmonds took the inbounds pass with 11.4 seconds to go, he was scoreless on six shots. Yet he dashed toward the top of the key as if he never missed. He weaved around a screen from big man Mecca Okereke and headed downhill towards the paint. He used a hesi to get by Cañada’s Logan Baltazar before sprinting towards the rim. He leaped, absorbed the contact from the defender as he hung in the air. His shot from restricted area banked off the glass and in, giving the Hawks the lead with five seconds left in the game.
After one last defensive stop, Las Positas’ second-consecutive nailbiter was complete. Two nights after Elijah Mobley’s game-winner staved off defeat at Chabot, the Hawks beat the No. 21 Cañada Colts 77-76 on January 18 thanks to the game-winning bucket from Edmonds. He redeemed his rough night.
It pushes the Hawks’ record to 18-0, with a 4-0 conference record. It’s the second straight game to be decided by single digits after 16 straight double-digit wins.
Edmonds was a metaphor for the Hawks on Friday. An impotent performance salvaged by end-of-game heroics.
Despite remaining undefeated, the Hawks’ execution has slipped. The effort has dropped.
“The way we were winning those games by double digits was with how hard everybody played,” Edmonds said. “Now it’s like we’re not putting in that effort anymore, and everybody on the team can feel it. So even after these close wins, it feels like a loss.”
The Hawks bypassed any issues with their crucial trait — the ability to make winning plays.
Edmunds was the encapsulation against the Colts. In a game he hadn’t scored, in which his usual money jumper was looking broke, he found a way to make a play with the game on the line. It’s what the Hawks have been about the entire year.
“Big players make big-time plays,” freshman guard Richard Banks said. “That last shot, (we) wouldn’t have been mad if Elijah shot it, Jorren shot it or Stevo (Sterling McClanahan) shot it, cause we know whoever’s taking that last shot is most likely going to make the shot.”
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The way the north division of the Coast Conference is stacked, it’s who they will have to remain.
It’s the only conference in the state with eight ranked teams, six coming from the North Division. City College of San Francisco (2), Skyline (17), Ohlone (22), Chabot(18) and Cañada(21) are all vying to knock off the top-ranked Hawks. They don’t get nights off. The energy will have to return to form.
“It starts at practice,” Banks said. “The past couple of days, we’ve just been walking around having side conversations, joking around and stuff. I feel like there is a time and a place to joke around and practice is not one of them.”
Last year the Hawks went 4-8 in conference play. Eight of those games were decided by single digits, in which the Hawks went 3-5. A key difference from last year is their experience and talent level.
“I think we have good players, too,” head coach James Giacomazzi said after their win against Chabot. “The bottom line is, I think our players are very talented, and when they don’t try to do it themselves and they utilize their teammates, they get even better.”
In their narrow 79-73 win over Chabot, it was the scoring of Mobley, Edmonds and McClanahan carrying the day. Against the Colts, it was pivotal bench play.
Freshman forward Jaden Woodard gave the Hawks a boost offensively, scoring 19 points, tied for team-best with Mobley. He showed ability in all phases, finishing the night 5/9 from the field, 2/4 from three and 7/8 from the free throw line.
Along with Woodard was Banks. Banks has made his name being the defensive specialist off the Hawks bench. But against the Colts, his scoring was on point.
“When Rich is hitting, he just stays on the floor,” Edmonds said. “He’s gonna be out there, he’s gonna be guarding the best guy, he’s gonna be rotating everywhere. And then the fact that we can count on him to hit the open skip three, it just makes our team go even more.”
Banks hit three of his six attempts from deep, scoring 17. He continued to be the pressure point of the Hawks press, gathering two steals. His on-ball pressure on the Colt’s inbounds lead to two violations.
The Hawks scoring trio still heavily impacted the game. Along with Edmond’s two points, he gathered 10 rebounds and five assists. McClanahan finished with 14 points.
Mobley, who finished the game 7-for-16 shooting, including 5 of 7 from the charity stripe, had another consistent offensive display. But this time, his signature close-out moment came on defense.
With five seconds remaining after Edmonds’ clutch shot, the Colts had one last chance. They fired the ball towards midcourt, where Baltazar claimed possession. He turned towards the rim, seemingly unaware of Mobley’s presence behind.
Mobley reached in, knocked the ball away for his only steal of the game, and ended the Colts’ hopes. In back-to-back close games, the Hawks found a way.
But if they don’t recapture the grittiness that made them No. 1 in the state, it’s only a matter of time before it catches up with them.
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TOP PHOTO: Jorren Edmonds (No. 12) drives inside into the lane against Cañada College. (Photo by Jakob Arnarsson/ The Express)
Jakob Arnarsson is the Sports Editor of The Express. Follow him on X, formally Twitter, @JakobA2004
