College of Sequoias claims CVC basketball championship
College of the Sequoias men's basketball team is Central Valley Conference champions for the fifth straight season.
The California Community College Men's Basketball Coaches Association state No. 6-ranked Giants clinched no worse than a tie for the conference title with an 81-73 victory over host Porterville on Feb. 8.
Sequoias (22-3 overall, 11-0 CVC) leads No. 17 Fresno City (18-5, 8-3) and No. 15 Columbia (20-5, 8-3) by three games in the conference standings with three games remaining.
The Giants can secure the CVC title outright with a win at West Hills-Coalinga (6-19, 0-11) at 6 p.m. Feb. 11.
Terri Miller (Clovis North High) powered Sequoias' 17th straight win − tied with Yuba for the second-longest streak in the state behind the 18 straight won by Fullerton − with 29 points, 13 rebounds, three assists, a steal, and a block.
Miller scored 16 points − hitting three 3-pointers along the way − during a 35-11 Giants’ run that allowed them to turn a 9-7 deficit into a 42-20 lead with 1 minute and 28 seconds left in the first half.
Porterville outscored Sequoias 47-39 in the second half but never got closer than nine points.
Javohn Garcia (Columbus, Ohio) delivered 24 points, four rebounds, three assists, a steal, and a block for the Giants, while Jose Cuello (Harlem, N.Y.) added 14 points, a rebound, and a steal.
Also contributing for Sequoias were Omari Nesbit (Sacramento) with five points, two steals, and an assist; Cameron Clark (Snellville, Ga.) with four points, two rebounds, and a block; Alex Argandar (Modesto) with three points and a rebound; Tyree Gill (Sacramento) with two points, two rebounds, two assists, and a steal; Tre'von Martin (Las Vegas) with two rebounds; and Takari Fields Champaign, Ill.) with a rebound.
The Giants close the regular season by hosting Fresno City at 7 p.m. Feb. 15 and hosting Reedley (9-16, 3-8) at 7 p.m. Feb. 17. Admission into Porter Field House is $8 general and $5 for seniors and students.
Sequoias won the past two CVC championships outright and was awarded titles in 2020 and 2019 because of Fresno City forfeits. The Giants have won 21 conference titles in program history.
Sequoias is seeking a fourth straight appearance in the state Final Eight during a championship season.
The Giants reached the semifinals last season before losing 71-65 to eventual champion San Francisco.
Sequoias has won two state championships in program history, in 1953 and 1982.
Women's basketball
College of the Sequoias women's basketball team moved closer to a third consecutive CVC championship following a 91-55 victory over Porterville on Feb. 8.
The Giants, who are ranked No. 6 in the state by the California Community College Sports Information Association, improved to 23-2 overall and 9-0 in the CVC, a half-game ahead of No. 5 Fresno City (23-3, 9-1) with three games remaining. The Giants and Rams switched spots in the most recent CCCSIA state rankings released Feb. 6 despite Sequoias' 76-72 win at Fresno City on Jan. 21 during the first round of CVC play.
Sequoias hosts Fresno City at 5 p.m. Feb. 15 in a game likely to decide the CVC title. The Giants have won six of the past eight conference championships and 19 overall in program history.
At Porterville, the Pirates (8-17, 3-7) jumped to a 12-9 lead midway through the first quarter.
But Camila Barreno (Ambato, Ecuador) came up with a steal − one of her game-leading seven on the night − and layup to send Sequoias to a 13-12 lead with 4 minutes and 19 seconds left in the first quarter. The Giants would not trail again.
Geizzle Jones (Bullard High-Fresno) scored six points during a 12-2 Sequoias' run in the second quarter that stretched the lead to 10 points (31-21) for the first time.
The Giants' lead would grow to as large as 36 points (89-53) on a 3-pointer by Maria Dias (Lisbon, Portugal) with 2:16 left in the game.
Barreno led Sequoias with 21 points. She also had four rebounds, three assists, and a block.
Jones finished with 16 points, four rebounds, two assists, two steals, and a block.
Noura Aboutaleb (Charlotte, N.C.) delivered 16 points, six rebounds, five steals, and two assists for the Giants.
Sequoias also received 14 points, eight rebounds, and a steal from Alana Roberts (Sierra Pacific-Hanford); 13 points, five rebounds, four assists, and four steals from Dias; seven points, eight rebounds, two assists, and a steal from Taylor Roth (Sanger); and four points, two rebounds, two assists and a steal from Maci Chavez (Kingsburg).
The Giants will host Taft (3-22, 1-8) at 3 p.m. on Feb. 10 and close the regular season by hosting Reedley (5-20, 2-7) at 5 p.m. on Feb. 17.
The Northern California Regional playoffs are expected to begin on Feb. 22.
Sequoias will be out to return to the state's Final Eight for the third straight year and for the sixth time in the past eight championship seasons.
The Giants only state championship came in 1987.
Sequoias reached the semifinals last season before a 69-53 loss to eventual state champion Sierra.
This article originally appeared on Visalia Times-Delta: College of Sequoias claims CVC basketball championship
