Cañada’s Josh Bluefield, right, and the rest of the Colts will need to have a strong game on the boards to stay close with top-seeded San Francisco in the semifinals of the CCCAA Nor Cal tournament.,
The last time the Cañada men’s basketball team had five days to prepare for an opponent, the 9-seeded Colts knocked off No. 8 Cabrillo, 64-58, in the quarterfinals of the CCCAA Northern California tournament March 1.
The Colts had five days to prepare for Saturday’s semifinal opponent as well. Will they have the same result?
Hard to say because the challenge in front of them will be much greater. Cañada will make the short drive up Interstate 280 to take on City College of San Francisco — the top team in Northern California and the entire state — for a 7 p.m. start.
The Rams are the defending state champs as well.
While the odds may be long, Cañada is relishing the opportunity to compete with the top team in the state.
“Anytime you can play in March, it’s an exciting time for a basketball fan,” said Cañada head coach Matt Lee. “There’s a lot of excitement. (We had) a full five days to practice. We wanted to keep that edge. Wanted to keep [the team] energized and focused.”
The Colts struggled against the Rams during Coast Conference North play this season, dropping an 82-69 decision Jan. 11 and losing the second meeting 90-72 Feb. 6. Despite the lopsided scores, Lee said there were times in both games the Colts had a chance to stay in the game, only to fall short. In one game, Cañada had cut the deficit to six, only to miss four straight layups.
“We had opportunities to change the dynamics of the game,” Lee said.
The Colts enter Saturday night’s semifinal game averaging a shade just under 80 points per game. Cañada got off to a strong start to the season, winning 12 of its first 14 games as the Colts entered Coast Conference North play.
The Colts needed all those early wins to help buoy a season spent in the CC North, one of the top conferences in the state. Cañada went on to finish third in conference play with a record of 8-4.
The Colts are led by sophomore center Kaden Bradley, who averages nearly 16 points a game. Sean Orr, a sophomore forward from Westmoor, averages just under 14 and Josh Bluefield, a sophomore forward, goes for almost 13 a game.
If there is one thing working in Cañada’s favor is that the Ram’s only loss this season was a 77-73 decision against Cabrillo. CCSF (29-1) won its first 14 games of the season and is working on another 14-game winning streak since that Dec. 16 loss. The Rams are averaging a little more than 90 points per game and are coming off a 92-71 win over Cosumnes River in the quarterfinal round March 2.
San Francisco has four players averaging in double figures scoring per game, led by sophomore wing Austin McCullough, who is scoring 15.3 points. Deschon Winston and Malcolm Johnson, also sophomores, average just over 13 points each, while freshman Walter Urbina scores just more than 11 points per game.
Where the Rams really make their presence felt is on the boards. As a team, San Francisco average 40 rebounds per game. It is in the rebounding department where the Colts need to stay close.
“All five of them can crash the boards and rebound. Anytime you give a team like City more chances to score, they will,” Lee said. “As long as we limit them (rebounding) and keep the possession game pretty even, I think we have a pretty good chance.”
Sports Editor
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Dirk van Ulden said:
I am trying to figure out who Bobby Lee is. Why shouldn't we have a special day for Mark Olbert, another confused individual?
CoastalBoy said:
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