On Thursday March 12, the Fresno City College Rams went into the first round of the 2009 Men’s Basketball Championships 34-0. The men had maintained a perfect record the entire season and into the post season playoffs up until this crucial match up with Riverside College.

The men were the number one seed in the state and the State Championships were hosted at the Fresno Selland Arena. Riverside Community College came into the tournament as the number 4 seed in the state with 27 wins and 7 loses.

With high hopes and great preparation, the Rams had one mutual goal on their minds and that was to advance to the next round and ultimately win the 2009 State Championships.

Riverside, on the other hand had come just as prepared and hungry for the same goal. During the first half of the game, FCC had kept a stable offense and defense against Riverside. All seemed well until the Riverside team started playing an awesome defense, or maybe it could have been that the Rams had a loss of concentration because of the cruel chanting from Riverside fans.

Whatever the cause, the Rams fell behind and were not able to catch up to Riverside. By the end of the first half, FCC trailed Riverside a few points. The second half was filled with anticipation and excitement.

Every time the Rams would score or catch a turnover, FCC fans erupted, and the crowd would go wild. Even though the men never caught up it was truly a night to remember; it was a night of great courage, strength and emotion.

There was something absolutely captivating about that night and it will not soon be forgotten. The final score was Riverside 71 and Fresno City College 67; The Rams had fallen short by only 4 points.

Even though it was a defeat, the fans of FCC could not have been more proud of all of the accomplishments made by the men this season.