CVC Player of the Year Jones to lead Giants into NorCal Regional opener at home March 3

By Nick Giannandrea

COS ATHLETICS

Central Valley Conference women's basketball Player of the Year Sapphire Jones and the rest of her College of the Sequoias' teammates will be in action at Porter Field House at least one more time.

The Giants (21-5) were seeded sixth in Northern California and are set to open the regional playoffs at 5:30 p.m. March 3 against No. 11 Modesto (20-6) in a second-round game.

It will be the opener of a doubleheader with Sequoias' men's team (24-4), which drew a No. 3 seed and will host either No. 14 Redwoods (20-5) or No. 19 Diablo Valley (14-14) at 7:30 p.m.

"I felt like we'd be a six," Giants' coach Ray Alvarado said. "We're good. We're where we're supposed to be. Now, it's time to get ready for the playoffs."

If Sequoias' women win, they would advance to face either No. 3 San Francisco (20-5) or No. 14 Redwoods (18-9) on March 5. Top remaining seed will host.

But getting to the third round, which advances teams to the state's Elite Eight championship tournament March 10 and 12-13 at West Hills-Lemoore, will be no easy task for the Giants.

Modesto is one of two teams this season to defeat state No. 3-ranked and NorCal No. 1-seeded San Joaquin Delta, topping the Mustangs 72-61 on Feb. 8. Delta (26-2) smashed Modesto 84-35 during the second round of Big 8 Conference play Feb. 19.

"They are a pretty good team," Alvarado said of Modesto. "They've got two good guards who know how to play. It's going to be a tough matchup. We have to put a game plan together and do our best to make it work."

Sequoias' rolls into its postseason opener winners of 10 straight games en route to capturing the outright CVC title.

Jones, a 5-9 sophomore out of Hanford High, was the driving force, averaging 19.7 points, 6.6 rebounds, 3.2 steals and 1.2 assists during conference play while becoming a unanimous Player of the Year selection..

"If a player ever earned it and deserved it, it was Sapphire," Alvarado said. "She definitely lifted our team and was an igniter of our defense, and offensively, she can get to the basket as well as anyone in the state. I'm really proud of her."

Alvarado was selected the CVC's Coach of the Year after guiding the Giants to the conference title for the fifth time in his 12-year tenure.

Sequoias also had sophomore guard Serena Ybarra (Coalinga) and freshman guard Celeste Lewis (Sierra Pacific-Hanford) selected to the All-CVC first-team.

Ybarra averaged 9.1 points, 5.5 rebounds, 2.6 steals and 2.3 assists per game, while Lewis contributed 13.1 points, 4.4 rebounds, 2.5 assists, 2.0 steals and 1.8 blocks per game.

Second-team All-CVC honors went to the Giants' Ayon Carter (Oakland) and Tiana Holland (Washington Union-Easton).

Carter averaged 6.5 points, 5.0 rebounds, 1.6 steals and 1.5 assists per game, while Holland averaged 6.6 points, 5.5 rebounds, 2.0 steals and 1.5 assists.

Hailee Edwards (Ridgeview-Bakersfield) and Dyaneli Diaz (McFarland) were named Honorable Mention All-CVC.

Edwards averaged 4.8 points, 6/4 points and 1.4 steals while Diaz delivered 5.7 points, 2.8 rebounds, 1.5 steals and 1.4 assists per game,