Giants set stage to play for 7th straight CVC men's basketball title Feb. 20 at home against Columbia

By Nick Giannandrea

COS ATHLETICS

College of the Sequoias men's basketball team has an opportunity to extend "The Streak."

The state No. 19-ranked Giants will play for a share of a seventh straight Central Valley Conference championship when they host No. 11 Columbia at 6 p.m. Feb. 20 at Porter Field House in both team's regular season finale.

"We've got to get the job done and keep this streak alive of winning conference every year," Giants sophomore guard Mason Dorsey (Los Angeles) said. "We know what we have to do. We have two days to prepare, so we're going to be ready for Friday."

The Claim Jumpers (23-4 overall, 13-0 CVC) hold a one-game lead on Sequoias (21-6, 12-1) after both teams won their penultimate CVC games Feb. 17, Columbia throttling Coalinga 105-69 at home, while the Giants topped Porterville 66-53 at home.

"It's special, really cool. Even six in a row right now, that's a long streak," Sequoias coach Dallas Jensen said. "To know we're a mere 40 minutes away from keeping the streak alive and building some momentum going to the playoffs is pretty exciting. I know our boys aren't thrilled with their performance tonight, but I also know they will be fully engaged and vested in this game on Friday."

Columbia will arrive in Visalia riding a 14-game winning streak, including a 76-73 victory over Sequoias on Jan. 28 in Sonora.

The Giants held a 73-71 lead with 27 seconds left in the game following a free throw by Javon Bragg (Corcoran High). But the Claim Jumpers got a game-tying layup from EJ Campbell with 11 seconds left, and, following a Sequoias turnover, saw Derron White drain a 30-foot shot as time expired to win it.

Columbia hasn't lost a game since Dec. 20, when it fell 85-82 at home against No. 8 Modesto.

"Columbia is still in my opinion the most complete team in conference. It's not really close," Jensen said. "I do think we have the pieces to compete with them and potentially beat them, but we've got to be really sharp, really engaged. We've got to be great on defense. We have to have the ability to make open shots and finish at the rim.

"I thought we did a great job in Sonora when we played them. Unfortunately I thought we kind of gave that one away late and they made a big shot to win it. But at the end of the day, we have to have the ability to put points on the board. Unless we can do that, we're going to be in a tough situation."

While the Giants are excited to have a chance to extend their run as conference champions, doing so likely won't make much of a difference on the team's seeding for the Northern California Regional playoffs.

Jensen said he expects Sequoias to land somewhere in the Nos. 10-13 range when playoff pairings are announced Feb. 22. If so, the Giants would host a first-round game Feb. 25, and with a victory, would need to win twice more on the road to punch their ticket to the Elite Eight, which will be held March 13-15 at Porter Field House.

There are 10 teams from NorCal ranked ahead of Sequoias in the latest California Community College Men's Basketball Association Top 25 poll released Feb. 15.  The Giants have beaten one of them (No. 16 Cosumnes River) and lost against two (Columbia and No. 17 San Jose).

"Win or loss, it won't really impact us much," Jensen said. "We're going to be a low seed. It will be the lowest seed I've ever had as a coach."

A short-handed Sequoias tuned up for its showdown against Columbia by winning its sixth straight game against an even shorter-handed Porterville.

The Giants – who opened the season with a 12-man roster – only suited up eight players as Jamaal Phatty (Frankfurt, Germany) missed a fourth straight game because of an injury. Jensen said Phatty might be able to return to practice this week and be available for the playoffs.

Sequoias has lost three players – sophomore guard Gabe Gutierrez (Bakersfield Christian High), sophomore center Andre Stinson (Buffalo, N.Y.) and freshman wing Rippen Gill (Centennial High-Bakersfield) to season-ending injuries.

"This has been a really trying year," Jensen said. "They still work hard every day. They are super coachable. They are great with one another. But it's been hard. There has been so much turnover and trying to figure out who we are as a team and what everyone's identities and roles are on the team. I told them that I am proud of them. I think we are competing our butts off."

Porterville (6-21, 3-10) had the minimum five players in uniform. But despite playing without substitutes, the Pirates kept the score close most of the game.

Porterville led 11-9 at the 12 minute and 30 second mark of the first half on a Jermarcus Brown basket.

The Pirates were down 34-32 with 16:47 remaining in the second half before the Giants outscored Porterville 26-14 over the next 11:53 – capped by a layup from Jayden Abuyen (Centennial High-Bakersfield) off an assist from Dorsey – to take control. Abuyen scored eight points during the stretch, where Sequoias extended its lead to 14 points (60-46) with 4:54 left.

Porterville got no closer than 10 points (60-50) the rest of the way. The Giants blasted Porterville 68-35 on the road during the first round of CVC play.

"We definitely have to play better than we did today," said Dorsey, who had 13 assists to push his state-leading total to 203 on the season. "We're getting stops and holding teams and playing good defense, but we're not scoring the ball at an efficient level, so we've got to do that Friday."

Dorsey also had two points, nine rebounds and two blocks to help Sequoias win its sixth straight game.

Kion Hayes (Savannah, Ga.) led the Giants with 21 points to go along with five rebounds, three assists and two steals.

Cameron Kelly (Atlanta) delivered 16 points, three rebounds, two assists and two steals also contributed for Sequoias.

The Giants also received eight points, three steals and an assist from Jayen Abuyen (Centennial High-Bakersfield); six points, eight rebounds and four blocks from Zaquien Whitehead (Columbus, Ga.); six points, eight rebounds, three steals and a block from Bragg; five points, six rebounds and two blocks from QShawn On'gele; and two points, a rebound, a steal and a block from Kareem Barnett (Miami).

"It feels good with all the adversity we've been through," Dorsey said. "It's like now we get a chance to go compete for a conference championship. It's a testament to how everyone has stayed ready. I think we'll be ready to go on Friday and get the job done."