Giants look to get back on track at Merced following loss to FCC

By Nick Giannandrea

COS Athletics

It's been 10 year since College of the Sequoias last captured a share of the Central Valley Conference men's basketball title.

And the Giants will be playing catch up if they hope to end that drought this season.

State No. 8-ranked COS fell into a double-digit deficit late in the first half and never recovered as No. 10 Fresno City rolled to a 72-53 victory on Jan. 11 at Porter Field House.

The Giants (12-4 overall) fall into a tie for second place with Columbia, Merced and Porterville at 1-1. The Rams (13-3 overall) share the early conference lead with Reedley at 2-0. 

Fresno City has won or shared 18 consecutive CVC titles, including the 2010 crown with COS, which will look to rebound when it returns to action Jan. 15 at Merced (7-7). Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m.

The Ram outscored the Giants 12-5 over the final 7:37 of the first half to turn a three-point lead into a 10-point cushion at 30-20.

Fresno City opened the second half on a 19-1 blitz, capped by a Chris Estrada 3-pointer, that plunged COS into a 28-point deficit with 13:50 remaining.

The Giants got no closer than 14 points (55-41 on Ayo Aderoboye's 3-pointer with 6:51 left) the rest of the way.

On a cold shooting night for COS, Milton Burnett (Bullard High) led the Giants with 11 points. Aderoboye (Lagos) 10 points and seven rebounds, while Ryan Johnson (Hanford) contributed nine points and seven rebounds.  

COS shot 29.5 percent from the field, 20.6 percent from beyond the 3-point arc and 45.5 percent on free throws. The Giants average 42.5 percent from the field, 32.5 percent on 3-pointers and 65 percent on free throws for the season.

COS' next home game is set for Jan. 18 against Reedley (11-5), starting at 7 p.m.