With a season-ending win over Porterville, the Fresno City College men’s basketball team has won its ninth straight Central Valley Conference title.

The Rams, 23-6 overall and 11-1 in the CVC, defeated Porterville 94-84 on Feb. 17 to clinch a share of the conference championship.

FCC shares the league title with College of the Sequoias.

The Rams, ranked No. 14 in the state, will now travel to Sacramento this Friday to face American River College in the first round of the NorCal playoffs.

Following the Porterville game, head coach Ed Madec was speechless with excitement.

Madec said it’s all about the playoffs now and that the team would get ready and focused for another run at a state championship. The Rams won state titles in the 2006-07 and 2004-05 seasons.

The game against Porterville was “sophomore appreciation” night for FCC, which is the last regular-season home game for graduating sophomores. 

Porterville coach T.J. Jennings and the Pirates hoped to spoil FCC’s final home game. “We’re here for one thing,” Jennings told The Rampage before the game, “and that’s to make sure [Fresno City] doesn’t get this championship.”

Porterville kept the game close, but the Rams’ solid free-throw shooting saved FCC in the end.

Forward Ed Willis led the Rams in the win, scoring 19 points. Percy Lemle added 13 points and Brandon Johnson scored 10 points.

The visiting Pirates and their fans set the momentum early in the game. The score was tied 41-41 at the half. But solid free-throw shooting led FCC to the win. The Rams finished 32-of-40 at the free-throw line.

Prior to the season-ending win against Porterville, the Rams lost at COS 88-85 on Feb. 10 and defeated Merced College 91-77 on Feb. 13.