Giants men's basketball edges Butte to cap three-win week

By Nick Giannandrea

COS ATHLETICS

A undefeated week for College of the Sequoias men's basketball team ran the gamut from blowout win, to come-from-behind victory, to escaping a last-second nail-biter.

The state No. 7-ranked Giants improved their season record to 8-2 by edging Butte 68-66 on Dec. 9, rallying past Antelope Valley 75-72 on Dec. 8, and rolling past Palo Verde 100-44 on Dec. 5 -- all three games played at Porter Field House.

"We're not there yet," Sequoias coach Dallas Jensen said. "This team has a chance to be really, really good. We're 8-2 right now, and I'm very happy with that. But I know there is so much room for growth moving forward."

Butte entered its matchup against Sequoias unranked in the state with a 5-6, but riding the high of beating state No. 5 Yuba 83-75 on Dec. 6.

And the Roadrunners had ample opportunity to knock off a second straight state-ranked opponent as it trailed 66-65 with 24 seconds left.

The Giants gained a little room for error with 15.1 seconds left when Jose Cuello (Harlem, N.Y.) sank a jumper for a three-point lead.

Sequoias fouled on Butte's ensuing possession, with Taylor Keating making the first of two free throws to make the score 68-66. Keating missed his second attempt, with the Giants' Cameron Clark (Gwinnett, Ga.) grabbing the rebound and drawing an immediate foul.

Clark missed the front end of a 1-and-1, and Butte's Jessy Maximin secured the rebound and called a timeout with 1.5 seconds left.

The Roadrunners' Donnell Basden got off an open 3-point attempt from the northeast corner, but it was off the mark as time expired.

"Butte, they have all the pieces. They are well coached, have size, and have a good lead guard. They have the ability to shoot it. They really kind of found their identity with their zone defense. And they are coming off one of their best wins in the state this year," Jensen said. "We knew their confidence would be at an all-time high today. I thought we controlled the game for the most part, but we really struggled to put them away. That's a lot of credit to coach (Jack) Martin and their team for competing and making big shots, and making things difficult on us at home."

Cuello led Sequoias with 32 points, along with eight rebounds, five assists and a steal. The Giants also received 12 points, five rebounds and two assists from Jaden Haire (Hanford West High); 12 points, eight rebounds, two assists and two steals from Omari Nesbit (Sacramento); six points, seven rebounds, an assist, block and steal from Clark; three points, six rebounds, six assists and a steal from Alex Argandar (Modesto) and three points and six rebounds from Davis White (Santa Clarita).

Against Antelope Valley (3-6), Sequoias trailed 37-33 at halftime.

The Marauders went ahead by as many as seven points in the second half on Trey Hawkins' 3-pointer with 19:30 left in the game.

Sequoias retook the lead 47-44 on a 3-pointer by Argandar with 15:30 left to play, and the Giants extended their lead to 11 points (69-58) with 4:41 left on a coast-to-coast layup by Cuello.

Antelope Valley, however, refused to fold and cut the deficit to two points (73-71) with 56.1 seconds left..

Sequoias went up 75-71 on a basket by James Freeman (Sacramento), but Antelope Valley got a free throw from Malachi Jones to make it a three-point game with 21 seconds left.

The Giants committed a turnover on their next possession and the Marauders' Xa Landry launched a 3-pointer that got stuck against the rim and backboard with 2 seconds left.

Antelope Valley retained possession, but the in-bounds pass was high, and Hawkins, with Freeman in tight defense, was off the mark on a 3-pointer as time expired.

"Very up and down. We looked a little bit lethargic, a step slow," Jensen said. "We had some highs and lows and we just really couldn't find a good balance throughout the game. Obviously, I'm happy any time we can get a win, but I felt we left a lot on the table. Antelope Valley did a great job. Obviously coach (John) Taylor is a fantastic coach. They made some big shots, but I didn't feel like we were ourselves." 

Cuello again led the Giants in scoring with 24 points, to go along with 11 rebounds, six assists, two steals and a block.

Nesbit delivered 16 points, six rebounds and three assists, while Haire contributed 10 points, 13 rebounds, an assist and a block.

Clark was a force inside with eight blocks. He also had 12 points, six rebounds and an assist.

Sequoias also received eight points, six assists, four rebounds and three steals from Argandar; two points, five rebounds and three blocks from Freeman; and three points and three rebounds from Kion Hayes (Savannah, Ga.).

The Giants shot a season-best 57.4 percent from the field -- including a 58.3 percent performance from 3-point range -- in a rout of Palo Verde.

Sequoias led 51-21 at halftime and never looked back.

Nesbit had a particularly hot hand, making 7 of 10 shots overall and 5 of 7 3-pointers to share the Giants' scoring lead with 19 points. Nesbit also had five rebounds, two steals and an assist.

Cuello also scored 19, while adding seven rebounds, four assists and two steals.

White contributed 18 points, four rebounds, two steals and an assist; Haire had 10 points, 10 rebounds, an assist and a block; Jaylon Lee (Las Vegas) had seven points, five rebounds and a block; Argandar had six points, two rebounds, 10 assists, two steals and a block; Clark had six points, six rebounds and an assist; and Hayes added eight points, a rebound and four assists.

The Giants resume nonconference play by hosting Cerritos (3-5) at 5 p.m. Dec. 14. Admission into Porter Field House is $8 general and $5 for seniors and students.

Sequoias will also host Gavilan (4-6) at 5 p.m. Dec. 20 before taking a 10-day break from games during the holiday season.