Giants rout Reedley, clinch share of first CVC men's basketball title since 2001
By Nick Giannandrea
COS ATHLETICS
The drought is officially over for College of the Sequoias' men's basketball team.
For the first time since 2001, the Giants are champions of the Central Valley Conference.
Sequoias clinched at least a share of the conference title following a 103-55 dismantling of Reedley on Feb. 9 at Porter Field House that saw Terri Miller (Clovis North High) deliver 20 points, 14 rebounds, four steals, an assist and a block.
Entering the game, three things needed to happen for the state No. 7-ranked Giants (21-4, 10-1) to wrap up the CVC title.
First, Sequoias had to beat Reedley, which wasn't a problem as the Giants raced out to a 24-6 lead through the game's first 10 minutes behind 12 points from Miller, and never looked back during a rout of the Tigers (4-20, 0-10).
Then, Columbia and Fresno City both needed to lose, which happened as unranked West Hills-Lemoore upset the No. 12 Claim Jumpers 73-66 and No. 28 Porterville topped the No. 27 Rams 74-65. Fresno City captured 19 consecutive CVC titles between 2002 and 2020 before the 2021 conference season was canceled because of Covid-19 safety precautions.
The Giants now lead the CVC by three games over Columbia (21-4, 7-4) and Porterville (16-7, 7-4), and by four games over Fresno City (11-9, 5-4) with three conference games remaining.
"This is big," said the Giants' Seth Dawson (Antoich), who contributed 11 points, eight rebounds, five assists and a block. "We've been talking about this goal for a long time."
Sequoias can wrap up the conference championship outright with a victory over Columbia on Feb. 12. Tip-off is scheduled for 3 p.m. at Porter Field House in the Giants last regular season home game.
Six players scored in double figures and all nine players who got into the game scored at least two points as Sequoias won its eighth straight game.
"We're playing great right now," said Conner Jackson (Dublin), who had 15 points, five assists, four rebounds and a block for the Giants. "I think we're clicking at the right time. It's a beautiful thing to see, and it's fun to be out there with my guys."
The Giants led 47-21 at halftime and opened the second half with a 22-2 blitz, including a pair of 3-pointers from Jackson, to put the score out of reach.
Sequoias' lead ballooned as large as 60 points (97-37) with 5:09 remaining in the game on a layup by Andre Treadwell (Sacramento) off an assist from Mohammed Adam (Monterey).
"It was a lopsided game," Dawson said. "But we still have to play our brand of basketball and get ready for the playoffs."
Ryan Johnson (Hanford High) finished with 20 points, seven steals, five rebounds and three assists for the Giants.
Sequoias' Tiveon Stroud (Selma) added 11 points with six rebounds and two blocks.
Adam had 10 points, three assists, two rebounds and two steals, Treadwell had eight points, two rebounds and an assist, and Scott Ator (Murphy, Texas) had six points, eight assists, four rebounds, three blocks and a steal for the Giants.
After hosting Columbia on Feb. 12, Sequoias closes the regular season with games on the road: 5 p.m. Feb. 14 at Reedley and 5 p.m. Feb. 18 at West Hills-Lemoore, which will be the site of the Elite Eight state championship tournament March 11-13.
The Giants are hoping to build a resume that produces a top-four seed when payoff pairings for the Northern California Regional playoffs are announced. Sequoias is looking to advance to the state Elite Eight for the third consecutive championship season, and capture the school's third state title overall and first since 1982.
"To come in here and reach one of our goals is a good feeling," Jackson said. "We're a well-rounded team with a lot of pieces, and we play together. So I feel like we can accomplish all of our goals moving forward. It's exciting."
