SAN MATEO — Following their first loss of the season, the Hawks were distraught. Some cried. Few slept. The heartbreak of having their perfect record ripped away from them by a one-point home loss cut deep.
It would have been easy for the Hawks to unravel. To travel to San Mateo with their heads down. Instead, they found a way to return to their previous form.
“We addressed the elephant in the room,” head coach James Giacomazzi said. “We don’t feel good, doesn’t taste good in our mouth, and we wanted to come back and play better basketball.”
With the season winding down, it’s the level of basketball the Hawks will need to continue to play.
The Hawks beat the San Mateo Bulldogs 76-69 on Friday, Jan. 31. It saw them bounce back from their first loss of the season, a 69-68 defeat to the Skyline Trojans.
It’s exactly the response the Hawks needed. To see themselves get back in the win column before setting up their biggest game of the season — one of the most important games in program history.
On Wednesday, Feb. 5,. they play hosts to the City College of San Francisco Rams. The two are tied at the top of the conference standings with a 7-1 conference record and a 21-1 overall record. The Hawks handed the Rams their only loss, 81-69 on Jan. 10.
The rematch will likely decide who becomes the conference champion.
“It’s obviously a big game,” Giacomazzi said. “We know what’s coming. We know they’re well coached. I think they will be really highly motivated to try to come in and play a better basketball game than they did previously. We’re gonna have a huge challenge on our hands.”
Following the loss to Skyline, Giacomazzi decided to change up his starting lineup. He replaced sophomore guard and second leading scorer Sterling McClanahan for freshman Jaden Woodard, giving him his second start of the year. McClanahan was coming off of a three point outing — his lowest of the season.
“He’s been playing through some knicks, he’s been a little bit banged up,” Giacomazzi said. “He’s not at a 100% but he’s given us all he has, and what a warrior he is, and we really appreciate him, respect him and we love him for what he brings to the team.”
He finished the night with 11 points, four rebounds and four steals. His 0/5 shooting from deep made him 1/7 in his last two games combined.
Woodard pounced on his opportunity, scoring 13 points with eight rebounds. It’s the fourth game in the last five he finished with 10 or more. He’s averaged 14.2 over that same span.
“The main thing is just being consistent,” Woodard said of his recent offensive production. “Once I get a couple of rebounds, help contribute to the team, and everything else falls in line for me offensively.”
Leading the way was sophomore guard Jorren Edmonds, who scored a team and season high 28 points. He made 13 of his 17 shots. Down the stretch, he acted as the teams closer. He scored 10 of their last 12 points, including two crucial, signature two point jumpers within the last 1:30 to shut the door.
Despite bouncing back from their performance against the Trojans, the Hawks faced a similar issue. A large factor in the Trojan’s upset was the lopsided success from three. Against the Bulldogs, the Hawks once again struggled from deep, while the Bulldogs, a top 20 team in the state in both attempts and makes from beyond, made 11.
The Hawks finished 0-16 from three — the first time they failed to make a single three all season long.
It’s an area of concern against the Rams. The three-ball plays an important factor in their high powered offense, with their 200 makes ranking 10th in the state. They average the third most points per game at 93.8.
The Hawks made only one three in their win earlier in the season, but a big reason they overcame that was their stalwart defense. They have been the only team to slow the Rams down, holding them to a season low 69 points with four made threes. After the loss, the Rams have averaged 88.5 while having a margin of victory of 26.6.
For the Hawks to come out victorious, they are going to have to find a way to emulate their previous defensive success.
“I think that we’ll have to play our best game of the year on wednesday,” Giacomazzi said. “Because I think their motivation is going to be 10 out of 10, I think they’re gonna come at us with a lot of aggression and a lot of effort and passion and we got to make sure we match and we’re ready to take that challenge on.”
Defense has been a strength all year for the Hawks. They rank 17th in points allowed per game at 66.4, while leading the state in steals at 14.8. In second are the Rams with 13.1.
The Hawks scoring weight will likely be carried by Edmonds and leading scorer Elijah Mobley. Mobley scored 26 when the two played in San Francisco. He will have to bounce back from a poor night shooting against the Bulldogs, where he finished with 12 points while shooting a season low 26.7%.
Meanwhile Edmonds is playing his best ball of the season. He has scored 16 or more in each of the last four games, while shooting 67% from the field and making all 13 of his free-throws during the stretch.
But it’ll take more than just their sophomore guards scoring prowess. Or the squad’s intense defense. It’s going to take everyone on Wednesday.
The Hawks are looking to do things they’ve never done before. They’ve never won a conference championship. Under Giacomazzi, they have never beaten the Rams twice in a season. In fact, their win this year was just the second time the Hawks have beaten the Rams since Giacomazzi became the head coach in 2015.
Now to have any shot at that first title, they are going to have to find a way to beat them again.
“We have to come in with the same energy, same intensity, focus that we did last time,” Woodard said. “We were all in last time as a team. That’s why I think we came out and won. We stood strong, and as long as we keep the same mentality as we did last game, I think we’ll be good and come out with a win.”
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Top photo: Elijah Mobley soars to catch a lob pass. He scored 12 points with four rebounds and two assists. (Photo by Jakob Arnarsson/The Express)
Jakob Arnarsson is the Editor-in-Chief of The Express. Follow him on X, formally Twitter, @JakobA2004.
