Giants men's basketball to host Fresno City after giving coach milestone 100th win
By Nick Giannandrea
COS ATHLETICS
It's been 20 seasons since College of the Sequoias last captured a Central Valley Conference men's basketball championship.
The Giants can take an important step toward ending that drought on Feb. 2.
Sequoias (17-4, 6-1) is set to host second-place Fresno City College (10-6, 4-1) with an opportunity to extend its lead in the CVC title race. Tipoff is scheduled for 5 p.m. from Porter Field House, with the women's game to follow at 7 p.m.
The Rams have won 19 straight CVC titles since the Giants' last championship in 2001. There wasn't a champion in 2021 as Covid-19 precautions caused the cancellation of the conference season.
"Everything right now is to help prepare us for the playoffs, and to try and potentially make a run to the Elite Eight and state championships," Sequoias coach Dallas Jensen said. "I think it's really healthy for our guys to have to compete at a high level and be involved and engaged in a game like this. I'm really excited for our guys just to see where we're at."
Fresno City, which is ranked No. 28 in the state by the California Community College Men's Basketball Coaches Association, rolls into Visalia hot off a 71-69 upset of No. 3 Columbia on Jan. 29. The Rams have won seven of their past eight games after opening the season 3-5.
"Fresno is really dang good. They are playing the best basketball they've played all year," Jensen said. "And obviously it's a rivalry game, so there is going to be a lot of emotion in that game. If we don't do the things we're supposed to, they can easily come in here and get us. So we've just got to make sure we're well-prepared, and make sure we match their physicality and intensity. And just come out and play high IQ basketball and just do what we do well."
No. 8 Sequoias enters on a roll, too, after storming past West Hills-Coalinga 89-58 on Jan. 29 to give Jensen a milestone 100th career coaching victory.
Jensen is 49-11 in three seasons at Sequoias after going 51-8 in two years at Gavilan in Gilroy.
The Giants cruised to their fourth straight win by a double-digit margin as they built a lead as big as 34 points on the Eagles (6-12, 1-3) in the first half while shooting 57.1 percent (16 of 28) from the field, including a 54.4 percent (6 of 11) mark from beyond the 3-point arc.
Seth Dawsom (Antioch) led the way with 24 points, 12 assists, six rebounds and two steals.
Ryan Johnson (Hanford High) contributed 16 points, five rebounds, two blocks and a steal for Sequoias.
The Giants also received 11 points, eight rebounds, two assists, two blocks and a steal from Scott Ator (Murphy, Texas); 11 points, three rebounds, three assists and three steals from Conner Jackson (Dublin); eight points, three rebounds, one assist, one block and one steal from Bryce Fitzgerald (Las Vegas); nine points, two rebounds and an assist from Andre Treadwell (Sacramento); and four points, 14 rebounds, three assists, three steals and two blocks from Terri Miller (Clovis North).
"I think we are playing well and getting to where we want to be," Jensen said. "I think we need a little bit more consistency up and down the roster right now, but we're trending in the right direction. It's just a matter of playing the right way, playing with our identity for a full 40 minutes. And we're not quite there yet."
After hosting the Rams, Sequoias will be on the road for their next two games: 3 p.m. Feb. 5 at Merced and 6 p.m. Feb. 7 at Fresno City. The Giants will return home at 5 p.m. Feb. 9 against Reedley.
