A year ago the Fresno City College women’s basketball team came up just short of winning a state championship as they lost in the final four.

With an 83-70 win over Sierra College at FCC on Saturday, the Rams returned to where they left off 12 months ago.

As they have done throughout the playoffs, the Rams came into the match ready to dominate on both sides of the court. The Rams’ defense put the pressure on Sierra early on while the offense clicked from inside and outside.

With 10 minutes left in the first half, the Rams held a 10-point lead. Sierra stayed aggressive, hoping to cut into the double digit lead. But the Rams would answer back every time Sierra made a push.

Late in the first half, the Rams’ Karissa Booker took over. She first drained a 3-point shot then immediately stole the inbounds pass from Sierra for a layup. Booker drilled another 3-pointer on the Rams’ next position to push the Rams lead to 42-26 with 4:03 left in the first half.

Madison Parrish connected on a 3-pointer from the corner to give the Rams a 47-29 lead going into halftime.

That was only the beginning for Parrish who scored 23 points in the game.

“She defends, she scores, she handles the ball. She has been playing her best basketball in the playoffs,” said FCC head coach Brian Tessler.

Parrish converted a 3-point play three minutes into the second half to push the Rams’ lead to 20.

But the Wolverines would not go down easily. They would tighten the defense and cause the Rams to commit turnovers while also blocking shots inside.

After a 3-point shot by Sierra’s Kirstie Williams, the Rams’ lead was down to seven, causing Tessler to call a timeout.

“I told them basketball is a game of runs. I said at some point we’re going to get our run,” said Tessler.

The Rams would get a run thanks in large part to the free throw line. FCC ended up making 20 free throws in the game while Sierra made five.

“We changed our game plan once we got the lead. We were getting tired and they were getting easy baskets,” said Tessler.

With 4:22 left in the game, the Rams managed to push the lead back to 16 points.

Nina Gregory made her only 3-pointer of the game with 1:30 left on the clock to put away the Wolverines for good.

“We came out with great intensity and we came out playing great defense. We tired them out. Even though we were getting tired also, we relied on our bench,” said Parrish. “As they were getting closer and closer, we needed to work as a team. I needed to score or make someone score.”

The Rams will now face undefeated Mt. San Antonio College in Sacramento on Saturday. The winner of that game will face either Santa Rosa Junior College or Mt. San Jacinto for the state championship.

“We’ve seen all these teams before. We played them early on so we know what to expect and how to beat them,” said Booker.

Parrish adds that the home crowd has been a major boost for the Rams throughout the playoffs.

“The home crowd was big. There were a lot of people and that helped with our energy,” said Parrish.

This is the fourth time in six years that the Rams have reached the final four.

“It’s about the kids. They deserve to be here,” said Tessler. “We’re gonna go and enjoy it and our goal is to win the whole thing.”