Giants lose ground in CVC women's basketball title race with loss to Reedley
By Nick Giannandrea
COS ATHLETICS
College of the Sequoias' hopes of capturing a third straight Central Valley Conference women's basketball championship have suffered a significant setback.
The Giants fell two games out of first place in the CVC following a 67-60 loss to Reedley on Jan. 31 at Porter Field House.
Sequoias (14-8 overall, 4-2 in the CVC) now trails conference-leading Fresno City (18-4, 6-0) and the second-place Tigers (14-7, 5-1) with six games remaining.
The Rams, who are ranked No. 6 in the state by the California Community College Women's Basketball Coaches Association, were idle Jan. 31.
The No. 17 Giants would need to go undefeated in the second half of CVC play, and hope Fresno City loses at least twice, in order to win the conference title for the sixth time in the past seven championship seasons.
And that would appear to be an unlikely outcome after the Rams stormed through the first half of CVC play with an average margin of victory of 38.3 points per game. The only game Fresno City played in the first half that was decided by fewer than 16 points was a 77-73 win at Sequoias on Jan. 27.
The Rams routed the Tigers in Reedley 99-68 on Jan. 20.
Against Reedley, Sequoias played one of its best first quarters of the season, rolling to a 23-5 advantage behind seven points from Anisa Torres (Caruthers High) and four apiece from Lucia Ricci (Seattle, Wash.) and Geizzle Jones (Bullard-Fresno).
The Giants shot 45.5 percent from the field in the first quarter while taking only two 3-point shots, making one.
Sequoias led by as many as 22 points twice in the second quarter, the last (29-7) following a basket by Maci Chavez (Kingsburg) with 8 minutes and 5 seconds to play before halftime.
But Reedley went on a 21-11 run the rest of the quarter to make it a 12-point deficit at halftime.
The Tigers pulled within four points (49-45) through three quarters.
That set the stage for a fourth quarter that saw the lead change hands nine times before Reedley went ahead for good (62-60) on a layup by Leyocha Marigney with 3:02 left.
Sequoias would miss three 3-point attempts the rest of the way while making only 4 of 15 shots (27 percent) in the fourth quarter.
Torres finished with 15 points, 12 rebounds, two assists and two steals to lead the Giants.
Ricci added 14 points, five rebounds, two assists, two steals and a block.
Kyla Wandick (Bakersfield) and Trinity Ferro (Corcoran) each scored seven points for Sequoias, with Wandiuck also contributing six assists and two rebounds, while Ferro added four rebounds, three assists and a block.
The Giants also received five points, three rebounds, three blocks and a steal from Darleth Felix (Tulare Union); four points, two rebounds, two assists, two blocks and a steal from Jones; two points, two rebounds and an assist from Teresa Sandoval (Hanford West); two points, two assists and two steals from Taylor Whitfield (Sierra Pacific-Hanford); two points, two rebounds and an assist from Chavez; and two points and a rebound from Andrea Perez (Porterville).
Sequoias will be idle when the second half of CVC play begins Feb. 3.
The Giants return to action at 7 p.m. Feb. 7 by hosting Merced (5-15, 1-4). It will be the nightcap of a doubleheader at Porter Field House with the men's team, which faces the Blue Devils (17-4, 5-2) at 5 p.m.
