San Mateo Daily Journal: Cañada makes statement with win over CCSF
By Terry Bernal Daily Journal
Bill Garrett: Freshman Crisshawn Clark was
one of five Colts to score in double-digits Friday night.
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Cañada scored a statement
win at City College of San Francisco Friday night.
That statement — the Colts
are now the class of the Coast Conference North.
The 105-96 victory marked
the first time in over a decade Cañada has defeated CCSF. Having entered into
play tied atop the Coast Conference North, the Colts (4-1 in Coast Conference
North, 18-2 overall) are now all alone in first place. CCSF, Ohlone and Chabot
are in a three-way tie for second.
“In a sense, we have our
destiny in our own hands,” Cañada head coach Mike Reynoso said. “So, I think if
we continue to do what we are capable of doing, we will be on the road to that
championship.”
Eyeing a potential state
championship is a lofty ambition, but a fair one after knocking off a perennial
powerhouse such as CCSF (3-2, 14-7). The Rams had not lost a game in Coast
Conference play for four seasons previous seasons, including a 2010-11 campaign
in which they brought home the second state title in school history.
Friday’s defeat was the
second in conference of the year for CCSF. Foothill snapped the Rams’ longtime
winning streak Jan. 14 with a 75-72 triumph.
That didn’t detract from the
excitement of Cañada’s players following Friday’s win. It was an emphatic
punctuation of an epic week that started with the Colts battling Chabot to a
95-81 victory last Wednesday.
“Our guys are always excited
after a win and rightfully so,” Reynoso said. “I told them in the locker room
after the game, this was a great team. But I’m not super ecstatic. … I felt
like we were the better team and expected to win this game.”
CCSF came ready to play
though and couldn’t be stopped from the field throughout the first half. The Rams
took a 59-52 lead into halftime after lighting it up from the floor.
Rams sophomore forward
Julian Harrell scored a game-high 35 points, including seven 3-pointers after
shooting a perfect 5 for 5 from beyond the arc in the first half.
“They just could not miss.
(in the first half),” Reynoso said. “They were playing great basketball.”
As many a team throughout
the California Community College Athletic Association is fast discovering
though, trying to outshoot Cañada is a tall task. The high-flying Colts are
currently the best offense in the state averaging 87.7 points per game. And in
the second half, the they rallied back.
Three Cañada players reached
the 20-point plateau in the game. Sophomores Manny Martin and Rohndell Goodwin
tabbed a team-high 22 points apiece. Israel Hakim had 20 points. Freshman
Crisshawn Clark added 16.
Martin also had a strong
night on the boards, grabbing a team-high 10 rebounds.
“Manny played unbelievable
and played like he’s capable of doing every night,” Reynoso said. “The guy who
really was the spark was Brian Garrett. … He really changed the momentum in
both halves.”
Garrett, a 6-4 freshman out
of St. Francis, was one of five Colts to score in double-figures. He had 10
points. And with Cañada trailing by 14 in the first half, Garrett drilled a
pair of 3-pointers to close the gap before halftime.
Then Cañada went on a tear
to start the second half. Five minutes in the Colts took the lead and battled
back-and-forth for the lead until midway through the second half when they
jumped out front for good.
“It was one of those types
of games where we really had to battle,” Reynoso said.
It’s the type of battle
Reynoso has come to expect night-in and night-out in the Coast Conference
North. In his fourth year on staff at Cañada — two as an assistant coach and
now in his second season at the helm — this year’s conference makeup is the
best Reynoso has ever seen, he said.
“There’s something to be
said with how tough our conference is,” Reynoso said. “Any night we can lose it
again. So, I tell [the players] our destiny lies in our hands with what we do,
and it’s important to remember that.”
Six of the seven teams in
the Coast Conference North currently boast overall records over the .500 mark.
But now they are all gunning for Cañada. And Reynoso said he knows it.
“City played the best game
they played all year against us and that’s out of respect to us,” Reynoso said.
Cañada entered last week
ranked No. 16 in the state, but is sure to rise substantially with its defeat
of No. 13 CCSF.
"We could care less about the rankings and all that, "Reynoso said. "We have a goal in sight to win our last game of the season and win a championship."
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