By Phil Jensen
Special to Chabot Athletics
The Chabot College men's basketball team was ready for the moment.
For the first 39 minutes of Wednesday's game against perennial powerhouse City College of San Francisco, the Gladiators battled the state's second-ranked team evenly. But Chabot was the only team to score in the last minute of the game in an 89-87 victory that was perhaps one of the biggest in the program's history.
Chabot's win over the defending state champions broke CCSF's 68-game Coast Conference-North winning streak and was Chabot's first victory over the Rams since Jan. 30, 2015.
"It's huge for Northern California, that somebody can finally defeat them in league," said Chabot coach Keenan McMiller, who celebrated his 42nd birthday with the victory. "We've been working so hard to finally get to this point."
Chabot, which is ranked 18th in the state in the Jan. 30 CCCMBCA rankings, trailed CCSF 87-86 entering the final minute of play. But Chabot's Diggy Winbush capped an outstanding second half with two free throws with 44.5 seconds left for the tying and eventual winning points. A steal by teammate Makaio Mims gave the Gladiators the ball back with 25.9 seconds remaining. Zach Broadous, another of Chabot's heroes, made one of two free throws with 12.5 seconds left, and a desperation three-pointer by CCSF with less than one second left bounced off the back rim, starting a Chabot celebration.
Winbush was clutch from the free-throw line in the second half, nailing all 11 of his attempts and finishing with a game-high 26 points. He finished 14 for 15 from the free-throw stripe and also had a game-high four assists.
"I spend a lot of time in the gym and just working hard," said Winbush, a 6-foot-1 sophomore. "City is a very good defensive team, they're well-coached, we just have to keep them honest and keep attacking and get the right shot, finding open people … This (win) is a blessing from God, we worked hard for this all year."
Broadous was the offensive star in the first half for Chabot (15-8, 8-1 Coast-North). The 6-4 freshman scored 16 points in the first 20 minutes, including four three-pointers, and finished with 25 points. He scored the first points of the game with a three-pointer.
"When I see that first shot go in, that just gives me that confidence to keep shooting," said Broadous. "Right now our work is paying off, so that feels really good."
The game had its twists and turns. Chabot scored the first six points of the game, but CCSF then went on a 10-3 run. Neither team had more than a three-point lead until the Rams went on a 6-0 run for a 32-26 advantage with 6:51 left in the first half.
But the Gladiators countered later in the half with a 10-0 run, including five points from Mateo Hamilton for a 41-37 lead. Chabot eventually held a 45-42 halftime lead.
Chabot quickly built its advantage early in the second half. After the buzzer sounded in the first half, a CCSF player was assessed a technical after arguing with an official. Broadous sank both free throws before the second half started, then David Ogunleye converted a putback once the clock started, David Hector contributed a free throw, and Broadous sank an elbow jumper for a 52-42 Chabot lead less than two minutes into the half.
But CCSF (20-3, 8-1) worked its way back into the game and eventually took a 62-61 lead with 11:40 remaining on a three-pointer by CJ Hardy.
But Chabot's comfort in its home gym (it is 10-0 there this season) helped keep the Gladiators from allowing the game to get away from them.
"These guys put in work in the mornings, they put in work at night. They're here," McMiller said. "They feel most comfortable here in whatever situation and they proved it."
CCSF took a 73-67 lead with 7:21 remaining, but a three-pointer by Broadous stopped the Chabot skid. The Rams held a lead until a traditional three-point play by Winbush gave the Gladiators a 84-83 advantage with 2:35 left.
Hector had a strong game with 10 points and a game-high 10 rebounds. Hardy paced CCSF in scoring with 21 points, including 15 in the second half. Mezziah Oakman added 16 points for the Rams.
Chabot, which has an eight-game winning streak, hosts Ohlone on Friday at 7 p.m.