Giants men's basketball rolling toward postseason winners of 11 straight

By Nick Giannandrea

COS ATHLETICS

The College of the Sequoias men's basketball team is steamrolling toward the postseason as one of the hottest teams in Northern California.

The Giants, who are ranked No. 6 in the state by the California Community College Men's Basketball Coaches Association, closed the regular season riding an 11-game winning streak, tied for second longest among the 47 colleges in NorCal.

Only state top-ranked and Coast-North Conference champion San Francisco (27-1) has won more games in a row than Sequoias at 23 straight, including a 80-66 home defeat of the Giants on Dec. 6. Coast-South Conference champion West Valley (23-3) also has an 11-game winning streak. 

Central Valley Conference champion Sequoias (24-4, 13-1) appears poised to land a top-four seed, and potentially two home games, when the NorCal Regional playoff pairings are announced Feb. 27.

The Regionals begin at sites of the top seeds March 1, and continue with the second round March 3 and the Regional finals March 5.

The state's Elite Eight championship tournament is scheduled for March 11-13 at West Hills-Lemoore.

"I think we're capable of going all the way and winning every game," Giants sophomore Conner Jackson (Dublin) said. "I feel like we are well coached and have a lot of pieces. So I feel like when the time comes, we'll step up our play and be ready for the big moment. I'm confident in my guys and the coaches. I'm excited."

Sequoias closed out its first conference championship season since 2010 with a 79-66 victory at West Hills-Lemoore on Feb. 18.

With the program's first outright CVC title since 2001 already secured, and with two key post players in Bryce Fitzgerald (Las Vegas) and Tiveon Stroud (Selma) not available, the Giants couldn't shake the Eagles early on. They took their biggest lead of the first half (38-30) on a free throw by Ryan Troutman (Kerman) with 5 seconds to play before halftime.

West Hills-Lemoore (12-13, 6-8) trailed by three points (56-53) with 8:52 left in the game following a basket by Milton Burnett, who played for the Giants in 2019-2020.

But Sequoias responded with a 19-6 run, punctuated by Jackson's 3-pointer with 2:15 remaining, to put the Eagles away.

"It was a weird vibe today but we stuck together and got the win, so that was important," said Jackson, who finished with 15 points, three rebounds and an assist. "We went in at halftime and focused on staying a unit and being collective, and we got it done."

Ryan Johnson (Hanford) had 20 points, eight rebounds, four blocks, three assists and two steals to lead the Giants.

Terri Miller (Clovis North) added 18 points, 10 rebounds, two assists, two blocks and a steal.

"We came in wanting to go 1 and 0," Miller said. "We did miss a few guys, but we stuck together and grinded it out."

Sequoias also received six points, six assists and four rebounds from Seth Dawson (Antioch); eight points, eight rebounds, two assists and a steal from Troutman; four points, five assists, four blocks, three rebounds and a steal from Scott Ator (Murphy, Texas); and six points and three rebounds from Andre Treadwell (Sacramento).

The Giants also beat Reedley 108-61 on Feb. 14 behind 23 points, four rebounds, an assist and a steal from Jackson.

Johnson had 19 points, 11 rebounds, three assists, two steals and a block, while Miller contributed 18 points, 17 rebounds, three steals and an assist.

Sequoias also received 15 points from Treadwell, 11 points from Ator, 10 points from Stroud and seven assists from Dawson.

The Giants have reached the state Elite Eight in each of the past two championship seasons. Sequoias lost in the quarterfinals in 2019, and the 2020 Elite Eight was canceled before it began because of Covid-19 safety precautions. There were no state playoffs in 2021.

Third-year Sequoias coach Dallas Jensen has overseen a team that is outscoring its opposition by nearly 20 points a game, while playing a scheduled filled with eight state-ranked teams, including victories over No. 2 West Los Angeles, No. 3 San Diego City, No. 10 Ventura, No.15 Porterville, No. 21 L.A. Southwest, No. 23 Columbia and No. 30 Allan Hancock.

"Ever since we got here in August, I feel like we had a mission," Jackson said. "We were all on the same page since day one. We came in with a serious mindset to work hard. And as time went on, we just gained confidence as a group. I feel like we are peaking at the correct time. The best teams peak at this time, and I feel like we're one of them."

Sequoias has won the state championship twice since the tournament was launched in 1952: in 1953 and 1982.

The players believe they can deliver a third. 

"I think we have a very great chance of winning this thing all the way," Miller said. "I believe in my team, and I think we are going to do great things. We just work hard. Every day in practice is a battle. Most people don't know but we go at it every single day in the gym. We push each other every day."