No. 6 Giants take sole possession of CVC men's basketball lead with rout of No. 14 Columbia

By Nick Giannandrea

COS ATHLETICS

Heading into a showdown for sole possession of first place in the Central Valley Conference men's basketball race, College of the Sequoias' coach Dallas Jensen said his state No. 6-ranked Giants needed a statement win.

They delivered one – emphatically – during a 104-73 rout of No. 14 Columbia on Jan. 29 before a boisterous home crowd at Porter Field House.
With the college's baseball, football and cheerleading teams in attendance and making the gym as loud as it's been for any game this season, the Giants seized control against the Claim Jumpers when Cameron Kelly (Decatur, Ga.) sank a basket at the 14-minute, 19-second mark of the first half to launch a 20-3 run.
When Davis White (Santa Clarita) capped the run with a layup off a steal and assist from Raydon Thorson (Queen Creek, Ariz.), a two-point (14-12) Sequoias' advantage turned into a 19-point cushion (34-15) with 9:44 remaining in the first half.

Columbia would not get closer than 16 points the rest of the way as the Giants (18-3, 7-0) opened a one-game lead on the second-place Claim Jumpers (16-5, 6-1) heading into the second half of CVC play.
"This was a statement win for us," Jensen said. "You know, I think obviously we've been trending in the right direction. But to come in here tonight and play the way we did from the opening tip was really impressive. I thought everybody that was on the floor contributed. I thought the energy was phenomenal. I thought we were very efficient. We shared the basketball well. We just did everything right. But I will say I think the biggest difference tonight was the energy that baseball and football and the cheer team provided for our guys. I thought that environment was an absolute game changer."

Sequoias won its 10th straight game – tied with Modesto for the longest active streak among the 47 teams that make up the Northern California Region – behind a sharp-shooting attack that converted a season-best 60.9 percent from the field (42 of 69). The team's previous best shooting night was a 56.3 percent performance (36 of 64) during a 90-72 victory at Gavilan on Jan. 4.
The Giants shot a scorching 53.8 percent (7 of 13) from 3-point range in the first half while rolling out to a 59-41 lead.

"That just shows we put in work," said Kelly, who made two of Sequoias' seven first-half 3-pointers and sank 8 of his 12 shots overall. "After every practice, we're in there shooting. We're shooting in the morning before school. Whenever. We're just trying to get better every game, and it's showing on the court."

The first half was a showcase for the continued development of point guard Thorson, a sophomore transfer from Tallahassee (Fla.) Community College who had 11 points, nine assists, four rebounds, two steals, two blocks and zero turnovers at the break.

"He's a total leader for us," Jensen said. "He competes literally on every single possession on the floor, and his first half tonight was one of the most impressive first halves I've ever seen from a point guard. He just completely controlled the game and put our boys in positions to be successful."

Thorson finished with 13 points, 11 assists, four rebounds, two steals, two blocks and zero turnovers. He's upped his statistical averages across the board – high scoring average, shooting percentage, rebounds, assists, steals and blocks – while decreasing his turnovers during conference play, which the Giants resume at 5 p.m. Feb. 1 against Coalinga (1-20, 0-7) at Porter Field House.
"I was just trusting the game plan and trusting my coaches and my teammates," Thorson said. "Guys were getting open, and guys were ready for the ball."

Sequoias shot 62.1 percent (18 of 29) from the field in the second half while growing its lead to as many as 33 points (104-71) following a basket by Tyree Gill (Sacramento) with 1:24 left in the game.
The Giants' lead swelled past 30 points (86-55) with 8:59 remaining on a pair of free throws by Ahmad Clark (Atlanta).
"We just had to come out with a statement for the rest of the conference and the rest of the state," Thorson said. "Every game, every practice, we just try to be the best versions of ourselves. And if we do that, we feel like we're the best team in the state."

In his most effective overall game of the season, Kelly finished with 20 points, nine rebounds, six assists, two blocks and a steal as the Giants beat a ranked opponent for the first time since toppling No. 25 Contra Costa 93-65 on Nov. 16.

"He started the year so well for us, and went through a little bit of a lull in the middle of the season. Kind of late in nonconference play," Jensen said. "And he's starting to turn it back around and figure some things out and play with a little more aggression and confidence. I think it's translating onto the floor for him."
Jaden Haire (Hanford West) led Sequoias in scoring with 24 points on 11 of 17 shooting. He also had 10 rebounds, two assists, two steals and a block.
White delivered 14 points, five rebounds and an assist, while Gill added 13 points, 10 rebounds, two assists and two steals to round out the contributions of the starting five.
Coming off the bench, Leyton McGovern (Anderson, Ind.) contributed eight points, three rebounds and an assist; Clark had seven points, two rebounds and two steals, Kevin Anderson (Atlanta) had five points and two rebounds, while Jayson Mathews (Sacramento) had three assists and a rebound.

"It was a great team win," Kelly said. "We've really been big on one game at a time. We're just trying to get better each game, and we really have been. We feel like we have us over anyone. When we're really playing together, no one can beat us, and that showed today."

After hosting Coalinga on Feb. 1, Sequoias will play its next two games on the road: 7 p.m. Feb. 5 at Reedley (7-14, 3-4) and 5 p.m. Feb. 8 at Lemoore (6-15, 2-5).
The Giants final two home games of the regular season are scheduled for 7 p.m. Feb. 12 against Fresno City (12-9, 5-2), and 5 p.m. Feb. 15 against Merced (10-11, 3-4).
Sequoias closes the regular season with a rematch at Columbia at 6 p.m. Feb. 21.

Only Fresno City gave the Giants a competitive game during the first half of CVC play, with Sequoias winning 77-72 on Jan. 18. No other team lost by closer than 19 points.
"Obviously we're thrilled that we're undefeated halfway through conference play," Jensen said. "But since we've turned the calendar year, our focus has just been on the one game in front of us. And we know our next game now is against Coalinga on Saturday, and our focus is solely on them. This group has done a really, really good job of keeping the main thing the main thing, and trying to simplify the game of basketball. I'm really proud of them. They're in a really good place right now, and just focus on going 1-0 every day."