Giants to host Contra Costa on March 5 one win shy of men's basketball Elite Eight berth

By Nick Giannandrea

COS ATHLETICS

It took a half to shake off 13 days of rust, but College of the Sequoias' men's basketball team cruised into the third round of the Northern California Regional playoffs.

And in the process, the Giants closed in on a third straight trip to the state's Elite Eight.

Behind 29 points, six rebounds, five assists and three steals from Seth Dawson, third-seeded Sequoias pulled away from No. 14 Redwoods in the second half for an 88-64 victory March 3 at Porter Field House in its postseason opener.

The Giants will host No. 6 Contra Costa at 7 p.m. March 5 in a third-round game that sends its winner to the state championship tournament March 11-13 at West Hills-Lemoore.

Ticket prices, as set by the Community College Athletic Association, are $12 for the general public, and $8 for students, faculty, staff, senior citizens 60 and over and children younger than 12. No passes will be accepted.

"I'm excited to go to the next round," said Dawson, a sophomore guard from Antioch. "You know we still have the same two goals: Elite Eight and after that the state championship. I feel like we're in the perfect position to do it. I think we're going to keep this thing rolling."

Sequoias rides a 12-game winning streak into its matchup against Bay Valley Conference champion Contra Costa (23-4), which reached the third round with an 89-79 victory over No. 11 San Jose.

The Comets have won eight straight with a trio of players averaging double-figure scoring in Miles Lewis (15.8 points per game),Seneca Willoughby (14.3 ppg) and John Wade II (14.2 ppg).

"I think Contra Costa is really talented. As far as sheer talent, as talented as anyone in Northern California," Sequoias coach Dallas Jensen said. "They have a bunch of athletes and playmakers and shotmakers all over the floor. They are going to get up and down the floor, apply a bunch of pressure, space you out and attack the rim. I'm excited about the opportunity to play them. And excited that we get to play here in front of our fans. Hopefully we can go 1-0 on Saturday and get back to the Elite Eight."

Against Redwood, Sequoias didn't trail following a Ryan Johnson jumper with 18:42 to play in the first half.

The Giants weren't able to separate from the Corsairs, either.

Drew Gillette banked in a 3-point attempt from near half court at the first-half buzzer as Redwoods sliced Sequoias' lead to 37-34.

The Giants responded with an 11-0 run to open the second half, capped by Dawson's 3-pointer with 16:02 remaining, to begin to establish control.

Sequoias would outscore Redwoods 28-10 over the first 10:12 of the second half while building a 24-point lead (65-41).

"First half was a struggle. You know, coach Dallas told us we have to come out and hit shots," Dawson said. "He told us in the second half, to just play hard.  I feel like in the second half we got it done and got stops on the defensive end, which helped out the offense."

Sequoias hadn't played since a 79-66 victory at West Hills-Lemoore on Feb. 18 that clinched the Giants' first Central Valley Conference tite since 2010 and first outright championship since 2001.

"We haven't played a basketball game in 13 days. You try to mimic and replicate game reps as much as you can in practice, but it's just not the same right, that energy, that competitive fire, all of that once you step between the lines on a game day," Jensen said. "There were things I wasn't overly thrilled with in the first half. We talked a lot about those things at halftime, and I thought our boys did a much better job of playing to our identity and our brand of basketball in the second half. So I was happy with that."

CVC Most Valuable Player Johnson (Hanford) delivered 16 points, seven rebounds, three steals, an assist and a block. The Giants also received 14 points, eight rebounds, three assists and two blocks from Terri Miller (Clovis North);10 points, four rebounds and two assists from Conner Jackson; four points, nine rebounds, five assists and three blocks from Scott Ator (Murphy, Texas); and seven points from Bryce Fitzgerand (Las Vegas).

"I didn't think we communicated well on the defensive end in the first half," Jensen said. "We didn't rebound it particularly well. Everything we do well, we just didn't do that well in the first half. And kudos to (the Corsairs). They were well prepared and knew what it was that they wanted to accomplish on both ends, and they did a good job executing. Second half, though, I thought we adjusted all those things and played a little more like we've been accustomed to over the course of the year."

Sequoias has made the Elite Eight in each of the past two championship seasons. In 2019, the Giants lost in the quarterfinals against Citrus. In 2020, the Elite Eight was canceled before it began because of Covid-19 safety precautions. The state playoffs weren't contested in 2021 because of ongoing pandemic precautions.

The Giants haven't won a state men's basketball title since 1982. The Giants only other state championship came in 1953.