By C.J. Peterson
@CJPETERSON51
Time ran out for the Las Positas Hawks on March 2 as their dreams to reach the Elite Eight were crushed by the College of the Sequoias Giants.
It was all Hawks the first half. An active defense created 13 points off six turnovers and was complemented by an efficient offensive attack, taking a 41-34 lead to the locker room.
A sluggish offensive start and complacent defensive to the second half shattered the Hawks dream of advancing in the playoffs.
“I think once we got our lead we kind of got comfort- able and we started lagging defensively,” guard Cameron Moses said.
The Giants would go on a 13-4 run to open the second half tying the game at 45 with just over 15 minutes remain- ing.
In the ensuing 12 minutes, the two Coast Conference contenders traded blows with neither team relinquishing more than a 5-point lead.
The turning point of the game came when Giants guard Simon Krajovic knocked down four consecutive free throws with only a minute and a half left on the clock.
In total, the Giants outshot the Hawks 20-11 from the free throw line in the second half.
Even with a few desperation buckets in the last few sec- onds of the game, it would prove to be too much to over- come as the Hawks fell to the Giants 87-81.
Following the game, head coach James Giacomazzi said how pleased he was of his group in defeat.
“We just told them how proud we were of them,” Giacomazzi said. “ Not a lot of people expected us to be where we were when it was all said and done. We’re disap- pointed that we lost, but we played very hard.”
Guard Kameron Johnson said that he plans to use this year’s loss as motivation for next year.
“We just have to remember this for next year, to fuel our fire,” he said.
As they look toward next season, seven of the 11 play- ers are slated to return, which will add veteran savvy and experience to the team.