Giants wrap season with overtime loss in NorCal Regionals

College of the Sequoias' women's basketball season came to an end over the weekend.

But it took an extra quarter to vanquish the Giants from the postseason.

Eleventh-seeded COS overcame a slow start to force overtime before falling to No. 6 Sierra 81-75 on Feb. 28 in Rocklin during round two of the Northern California Regional playoffs. The Wolverines (21-7) advance to a regional round three match-up against No. 3 Butte (23-6), with the winner moving on to the state's Elite Eight tournament scheduled for March 12, 13-14 at West Hills-Lemoore.

Sierra denied the Giants (19-10) an opportunity of playing for a fourth straight trip to the Elite Eight in part by jumping out to a 15-5 first-quarter lead. 

COS closed to within four points (31-27) at halftime and made it a one-point game (46-45) after three quarters.

The Giants outscored Sierra 15-14 in the fourth quarter to force overtime.

Felicia Ramirez (Caruthers High) led COS with 16 points, 10 rebounds and two steals.

Alaysia Reed (Las Vegas) delivered 18 points, seven rebounds, six assists and three steals, while Serena Ybarra (Coalinga) contributed 13 points, five rebounds and three assists.

The Giants also received 12 points and five rebounds from McKenna Hsiung (Bakersfield), eeight points and four rebounds from Elyssa Brumfield (Golden Valley-Bakersfield), two points and seven rebounds from Sapphire Jones (Hanford) and six points from Lucy Tazio (EL Diamante).

COS, which has reached the postseason eight straight years under Alvarado, lose only two sophomores: Reed and Brumfield.

Alvarado could welcome back as many as 11 players who saw action this season in Ybarra, Ramirez, Jones, Hsiung, Tazio, Neli Diaz (McFarland), Aubrey Nunes (El Diamante), Clarissa Chavez (Redwood), Hailee Edwards (Ridgeview-Bakersfield), Kuda Ceesay (Atlanta) and Savannah Surfus (Redwood).