Rams Fall in Final of Classic Tournament

The Fifth Annual Fresno City College Classic basketball tournament was held Nov. 17th through Nov. 19th. The event was comprised of eight teams from around the state included the FCC Rams who played their way to second place in the tournament.

Participating teams were: Barstow College Vikings, San Francisco City Rams, Sierra College Wolverines, Merced College Blue Devils, Reedley College Tigers, College of Sequoias Giants, Cooper International Academy, and the Fresno City College Rams.

On Friday, the first matchup of the day pitted the Giants against the perennially ranked San Francisco City College. The Giants were able to shock the Rams with a 80-63 win which was lead by sophomore guard Isaiah Johnson who had a game high 23 points.

Game two featured Cooper International against the Reedley Tigers. With Cooper being a preparatory basketball school from the Los Angeles area, very little was known about their program which featured 7’1 center, Roman Silva who poured in 29 points. Although local area product, guard, Jeron Bowers provided a season high 27 points for the Tigers, it proved to not be enough as they were beaten 95-72.

Game three featured the Vikings of Barstow College against the host FCC. In a high scoring affair by both teams, the Rams were bolstered by a 21 point performance by sophomore guard Jess Spivey, to win the game 103-92.

The last game of the day was a matchup between the Merced Blue Devils and Sierra Wolverines proved to be a back and forth battle until the Blue Devils was overtaken in the second half with a final score of 68-63.

Game one of the second day of action started off on the losers side of the bracket. San Francisco bounced back from an upset with a 92-76 win over Reedley College.

In perhaps the most thrilling game of the tournament, Barstow was able to secure their second win of the season be knocking of Merced in a 78-77 effort that was led by forward, Will Pierce with 21 points.

On the winning side of the bracket, Cooper International faced up against COS and were overmatched with experience. With the help of a balanced scoring effort, the Giants were able to win in a route of 77-54.

FCC finished off day two against the Sierra Wolverines. Off the bench, guard Tyus Millhollin led the Rams to a 63-60 victory with 17 points.

On the final day of the tournament, the consolation championship pitted San Francisco City against the Barstow Vikings. After being upset by COS earlier in the tournament, Rams were back to their dominant ways with a 122-84 drubbing. Still considered a top 10 team in the state, San Francisco will look to continue their winning ways for the rest of the season.

The third place game showcased the Sierra Wolverines against Cooper International. At this point, Cooper was already to make a name for themselves as the surprising team of the tournament. They continued their disciplined defense and deliberate style of offense to a 68-57 victory.

Wrapping up the tournament in the championship game was a matchup between the two Central Valley Conference teams. COS and FCC started their game off as two programs that knew each other very well. Sophomore guard Isaiah Johnson kept the Giants in the game as he scored 13 of his 16 points in the first half. The Rams were able to secure a four point lead at the intermission as their patented defense began to take shape.

Whatever head coach of the Giants, Rusty Smith, said to the team at halftime seems to work. The offense was clicking in a way that is abnormal against a FCC team. The Giants rode the hot shooting hand of sophomore guard, Kody Wilson in the second half as he scorched the nets with 25 points to lead his team to a 78-63 tournament championship.

For much of the tournament, former players of the Rams were in attendance to support their alma mater.

“Our guys just have to clean up a few of their mistakes on the defensive end of the floor,” Arte Williams, who starred on the 2007-2008 team, said. “It is still early in the season, so I expect them to be fine later down the road.”