Fresno City College beat the Reedley Tigers 108-81 on Saturday Night to remain undefeated in Central Valley Conference play.
The game was a clash of two opposing styles as the Rams played a tough, hard-nosed game while the Tigers played a lot softer on the defensive side of the ball. The Tigers struggled to get free from the Rams defenders all game and it seemed to hurt them throughout.
FCC got off to a strong start as freshman guard Chris Ashanti set the tone with the first basket of the game. The Rams followed his lead for the rest of the first half. The Rams defense stifled the Tigers on every possession which made it difficult for the tigers to get their game plan in place. The Fresno defense forced 2 ten-second violations in the first opening seven minutes of play with the defensive pressure they brought.
Offensively, The Rams scored at will on the Tigers at one point racking up a 29 point lead with 2:30 left in the first half.
The second half brought a rejuvenated Reedley team that came out hot and went on an 11-0 run to start the second half. The Tigers came out and seemed to play the game they wanted to play in the first half. The Tigers moved the ball and were able to shoot from the outside successfully. But the Rams made adjustments and regained control of the game. With 7:40 left in the game the Fresno lead was back to 91-64.
Alex Perez who led the Rams with 27 points in the game said, “I thought we came out strong in the first half control the tempo in the second half we came out complacent and let them get back in the game. We didn’t come out focused.”
Fresno transplant Dupree Hull led Reedley with 29 points including six 3 pointers in the game.
Reedley coach Brian Fonseca said, “Fresno City is a heck of a team and its tough when you get down early. They’re too good to get down behind. “
Even after a strong victory many FCC players still look for areas to improve
FCC sophomore Udun Osakue who scored 12 points in the game said, “We came out good but we need to keep the same focus and intensity throughout the game. “ Osakue adds, “We need to get better at communicating too.”
The upcoming playoffs are also a topic of discussion for the Rams.
FCC guard Thomas Hammock said “I feel like we got better, we competed. We’re not trying to look past anyone just get better for the playoffs.”
Fresno Coach Ed Madec looks to the playoffs and says “It’s a one game season in the playoffs so we got to perform or we go home.”
