Giants fall to Reedley, sit one game behind CVC men's basketball leaders
By Nick Giannandrea
COS ATHLETICS
Before Central Valley Conference play began, College of the Sequoias men's basketball coach Dallas Jensen predicted the eventual champion of a league featuring five state-ranked teams could end up with as many as three losses.
Following a stunning 64-63 first half-closing loss to last place Reedley on Jan. 31 at Porter Field House, the Giants will need to run the table in the second half in order to get to the 11-win plateau Jensen believes it will take to win the CVC title.
"Someone asked me the other day how many wins -- when we play 14 (games) -- will it take to win it, and I think 11 probably gets you a conference title," Jensen said on Jan. 4, six days before CVC play started. "Ten puts you in the mix. I think there are too many good teams this year."
That's proved to be a pretty accurate assessment so far.
California Community College Men's Basketball Coaches Association state No. 15-ranked Sequoias (16-5 overall, 4-3 in the CVC) sits one game behind the four-way, first-place tie between No. 13 Columbia (17-4, 5-2), No. 17 Merced (17-4, 5-2); No. 21 West Hills-Lemoore (15-5, 5-2) and No. 30 Fresno City (12-9, 5-2) through the first half of conference play.
The two-time reigning CVC champion Giants squandered a chance to make it a five-way tie for first when Columbia and Merced both lost on Jan. 31, the Claim Jumpers falling 83-65 to Fresno City and the Blue Devils losing 93-87 against West Hills-Lemoore.
Reedley, which entered 0-6 in CVC play and 4-14 overall, took a 14-13 lead at the 10 minute, 55 second mark on a Jayden Abuyen free throw, and did not trail again through the rest of the first half.
The Tigers lead got as large as 13 points (31-18) following a Abuyen layup with 6:07 remaining before halftime.
Sequoias, however, opened the second half with an 11-0 run that was capped by a Jose Cuello (Harlem, N.Y.) jumper with 16:08 remaining to surge to a 44-40 lead.
The lead would change hands six times the rest of the way, with Reedley going ahead for good when Kyriaun Davis took an in-bounds pass under the Tigers basket and powered up for the go-ahead points (64-63) with 4 seconds left.
It was Reedley's only lead over the game's final 12 minutes. Abuyen came up with a steal on the Giants' ensuing possession to seal the outcome.
"We just underestimated our opponent," Cuello said. "We walked in the building all too cool, like we already won the game. We were too nonchalant. We started off the game very slow, very complacent.
"They took advantage of that. They threw the first punch and it gave them confidence to keep on going, and we couldn't answer."
Cuello finished with 23 points, four rebounds, four assists and four steals to lead Sequoias.
Jaden Haire (Hanford West) delivered 12 points, six rebounds, two steals and an assist, while Omari Nesbit (Sacramento) added seven points, two rebounds and an assist for the Giants.
Sequoias also received six points, four rebounds, four assists, two blocks and a steal from Alex Argandar (Modesto); five points, four rebounds, two steals and an assist from Davis White (Santa Clarita); five points, six rebounds, three assists, three blocks and a steal from Cameron Clark (Gwinnett, Ga.); three points, two rebounds and two steals from Jaylon Lee (Las Vegas); two points, two blocks, a rebound and an assist from Samuel Bazunga (Paris, France); a rebound and a steal from Kion Hayes (Savannah, Ga.); and rebound and an assist from Mikey Ficher (Tulare Western).
The Giants open the second half of CVC play by hosting Columbia at 3 p.m. Feb. 3 at Porter Field House. They also host Merced at 5 p.m. Feb. 7.
"We have to forget about this game," Cuello said. "It's going to hurt, but there's nothing we can do about it. We can't get this loss back. We just have to push forward and prepare for Columbia on Saturday."
Sequoias has won the past two CVC titles on the court, and four overall counting forfeits by Fresno City in 2019 and 2021. There were no CVC games in 2020 because of the Covid-19 pandemic.
