Men's Basketball has gone 5-1 during the second half of Western State Conference play and is solidly in the middle of the conference standings and the hunt for one of the CCCAA's two expanded playoff berths.  Tonight's victory over Los Angeles Pierce, 93-56, improved the Cougars record to 15-13 overall and lands them in 4th place in the Western State Conference.  The Cougars are hoping their slow start in conference play will be overshadowed by their strong pre-conference schedule and dominant finish in the second half of WSC play.  

The Cougars' regular season finale was a strong closing argument as they crushed the visiting Brahmas by nearly 40 points.  Freshman Guard Drew Ardouin, a graduate of nearby Atascadero High, led the way with 35 points, while joining fellow former Greyhound Mecklen Davis and Templeton Graduate Seth Koenig as the only Cuesta players to eclipse the 35-point barrier twice in a season.  Ardouin also joined all-WSC Teammate Juani Dassie as they each netted their State-leading 100th three-pointer of the season, although Dassie leads the State, and Ardouin, at 101.  Fellow Sophomores Mason Romano and Moritz Schneider also contributed to the Cougars' victory.  Romano filled out his stat-sheet with 10 points, while also posting game-highs with 12 rebounds, seven assists, four steals, and two blocked shots.  Schneider added five points and 10 rebounds of his own to the Cougars' cause. Dassie, Romano and Schneider joined Veteran teammates Reumang Emagna and Aaron Russell for a pre-game acknowledgment of the Cougars' "Sophomore Day" (pict).

The Cougars will await next week's CCCAA Playoff Seeding Meeting to see if their season will continue.  Cuesta has not made the post-season since winning a conference title in 2019.  However, due to the pandemic, there has only been one State Champion crowned since the Cougars were last in the post-season.