The College of the Sequoias men’s basketball team had to climb out of an early hole — losses in its first two games — during its quest to win the Central Valley Conference championship last season.
Through two games a year later, the Giants, ranked No. 7 in the state, found themselves tied for pole position in pursuit of their fifth straight CVC title after a 103-60 steamroller over Reedley on the 11th. January at Porter Field House.
Sequoias (13-3, 2-0) shares the CVC’s early lead with No. 18 Columbia (12-4, 2-0).
But as Giants coach Dallas Jensen pointed out, a fast start in conference play doesn’t guarantee a title, not with plenty of challenges ahead, starting with a scheduled 7 p.m. Jan. 15 home game against Lemoore (5-11, 1-1).
“We’re excited about it, but like I just told the team, we have some really tough games coming up with Lemoore and Merced and Fresno and Columbia,” Jensen said. “They are very, very good basketball teams that can beat us any night. Any night. So I think right now we’re just focused on us and just trying to play the game that’s in front of us.
Sequoias earned their fifth straight victory overall in one night by shooting 46.3 percent from the field while making 19 3-pointers. That’s after the Giants shot 53.6 percent from the field and made 22 3-pointers in a 127-45 conference-opening victory at Coalinga on Jan. 8.
“We did well the last two games,” Jensen said. “I don’t know if I’ve ever – as a player or coach – seen 41 threes over a two-game span. And what I also like is that we share basketball. Guys miss good shots to get great shots.
Reedley (5-11, 1-1) played tight for most of the first half, trailing by six (29-23) with 6 minutes, 8 seconds left before halftime following a lay- up by Malachi Richardson.
But the Sequoias took control with a 19-2 first-half run featuring three 3-pointers from Kevin Anderson (Atlanta).
Anderson’s 3-pointer with 39 seconds remaining – off an assist from Jayson Mathews (Sacramento) – sent the Giants into halftime with a 48-25 lead.
The Giants opened the second half with an 11-0 run, capped by a three-pointer from Tyree Gill (Sacramento) at 18:05 as they took a 34-point lead (59-25). .
The Sequoias’ lead would reach a game-high 43 points – the final margin of the game – on a rebound and dunk by Ahmed Clark (Atlanta) with 33 seconds remaining.
“I thought it was a good win,” Jensen said. “We’re starting to get to the point where we’re able to guard 94 feet, while still being very good defensively in the half court. And I think that’s something we’ve really focused on, spending a lot more time being accurate on the defensive end.
Gill led the Giants with 24 points, hitting 6 of his 11 3-point attempts. Gill also contributed five rebounds, four assists and a steal.
Anderson, making his second straight start after starting the season as a reserve, finished with 20 points while making 6 of 13 3-pointers. He also had five rebounds and three assists.
Jaden Haire (Hanford West) had 16 points, eight rebounds, two steals and an assist; Davis White (Santa Clarita) had 12 points, five rebounds and three assists; while Raydon Thorson (Queen Creek, Ariz.) recorded seven of the Sequoias’ 25 assists while also producing three points, four rebounds and a steal.
Leyton McGovern (Anderson, Ind.), who moved into a reserve role after opening the season as a starter, provided a spark off the bench with 11 points, six rebounds, two steals and an assist.
The Sequoias also received eight points, six rebounds, two steals and an assist from Clark; five points, five assists, two steals and a rebound from Mathews; and four points, six rebounds and a block from Cameron Kelly (Decatur, Ga.).
“Kevin did a great job. He’s still working on some things defensively to get where we want him to be, but he gives us a little more punch on the offensive end and an extra ball handler,” Jensen said. “And we love Leyton’s energy off the bench. We believe he is an excellent sixth man at the moment, capable of coming in to play in any position and providing a spark and punch. So there was good momentum during the last two matches.
After hosting Lemoore, the Giants will play their next two games on the road: at 5 p.m. on January 18 at Fresno (8-8, 1-1) and at 7 p.m. on January 22 at Merced (9-7, 1-1 ). ).
Sequoias are scheduled to host CVC co-leader Columbia at 7 p.m. on Jan. 29.
This article was originally published on Visalia Times-Delta: COS men’s basketball improves to 2-0 in CVC
