Giants capture outright CVC women's basketball championship
By Nick Giannandrea
COS ATHLETICS
Ray Alvarado has been at the helm of four previous Central Valley Conference championship teams during his 12 seasons as College of the Sequoias' women's basketball coach.
The latest might be the most rewarding yet.
The Giants secured the CVC title outright Feb. 18 by defeating West Hills-Lemoore 71-60, a crowning achievement during a season that saw their leading returning rebounder miss all but the first five games because of injury, two other post players go down in mid December and a Covid-19 outbreak in early January that contributed to a lopsided early conference loss to Fresno City.
"Who would have thought with all the injuries and all the Covid stuff that we've had to deal with," Alvarado said. "Man, it's been a struggle. I'm really proud of the team. It's a great accomplishment with everything that was going on. It's great to not have to share it with anyone."
Sequoias, which is ranked No. 9 in the state by the California Community College Sports Information Association, will ride a 10-game winning streak into the Northern California Regional playoffs.
Alvarado said he expects the Giants (21-5, 11-1) to be seeded anywhere between Nos. 5-7 when playoff pairings are announced Feb.27.
The playoffs begin March 1, with the second round March 3 and the regional finals March 5. The state's Elite Eight championship tournament is set for March 11-13 at West Hills-Lemoore.
"We've definitely come a long way compared to how we were in the beginning of the season," sophomore guard Serena Ybarra (Colinga High) said. "The beginning of the season was really tough for us, especially with Covid and girls being out and then injuries and stuff. It's been really hard. But I'm proud of the way we've been playing. I mean we've been picking it up. Hopefully we can keep peaking from here on out."
Playing on its home court during sophomore night, unranked West Hills-Lemoore (15-11, 5-6) had an upset on the mind early, leading 18-10 with 4:01 remaining in the first quarter on a basket by Inani Madden.
Sequoias cut the deficit to 22-18 by the end of the first quarter and took its first lead (23-22) on an Ybarra 3-pointer with 9:07 to play in the second.
The Giants led 35-34 at halftime after getting seven points from Ybarra and five each from Sapphire Jones (Hanford) and Celeste Lewis (Sierra Pacific-Hanford) in the second quarter.
Jones scored nine points during an 18-4 Sequoias' run to open the third quarter that saw the Giants build a 17-point lead (55-38) at the 3:40 mark.
"It was a close game, but we pulled together," said Jones, who led Sequoias with 22 points, 14 rebounds and four steals. "We overcame it. And if we keep doing that, we're going to win some tough games."
Sequoias outscored West Hills-Lemoore 25-11 in the third quarter to open a 60-45 lead.
"We know every team right now is trying to beat us because they are trying to get that one win, or trying to get maybe a better seed for the playoffs, or not wanting us to win a title outright," Alvarado said. "At halftime I told them we kind of weathered their best, you know, and took a one-point lead. Now I'm like 'let's buckle down defensively,' which I thought we did a great job of in the third and we hit some shots. And we finally got our tempo going. I thought they executed really well in the third, and that's how we won the game."
Lewis and Ybarra each finished with 15 points. Lewis also contributed six assists, four rebounds, three steals and two blocks, while Ybarra added three rebounds, three steals, an assist and a block.
Hailee Edwards (Ridgeview-Bakersfield) delivered six points, 11 rebounds, two steals, an assist and a block, and Ayon Carter (Oakland) had eight points, six rebounds, two steals and an assist.
The Giants are poised to make the postseason field for the ninth straight championship season. The playoffs were canceled in 2021 because of Covid-19 safety precautions. Sequoias reached at least the state's Elite Eight in four of the six seasons before 2021. The Giants' only state championship came in 1987.
"You've got to have luck and health, and the matchups have to be right," Alvarado said. "But if they can buckle down, I like their chances."
Sequoias clinched a tie for the CVC title on Feb 16 with an 81-53 victory at Porterville.
Ybarra led the Giants with 18 points, three rebounds, three assists and three steals.
Jones had 11 points, seven rebounds and a steal, while Lewis contributed 10 points, three rebounds, two assists, two blocks and a steal.
Sequoias also received eight points, eight rebounds, three steals and a block from Carter; six points, five rebounds, three assists, a steal and a block from Tiana Holland (Washington Union-Easton); eight points, three rebounds, two steals, an assist and a block from Taylor Roth (Sanger); eight points, four rebounds, three steals and an assist from Hannah Kearnan (Redwood); seven points, 11 rebounds and three steals from Edwards; and five points, three assists, two rebounds and two steals from Dyaneli Diaz (McFarland).
"We've done more than win the conference. We've weathered the story and made a statement," Ybarra said. "If we can get right and stick together, I think we can accomplish a lot. I think we can definitely get to the Elite Eight and compete. It just depends on if we are in the right mind set, and if we're willing to get there."
