The Fresno City College men’s basketball team continued their winning ways on Feb. 17 with a 114-95 victory over Porterville, clinching the Central Valley Conference title for the second straight year.

Coming into the match, they ranked seventh in the CCCAA and showed off why they are a top tier team in the state. Guard Terrance Wienecke who finished the game with 16 points and eight assists, shed some light on why the team is successful.

“The strength is our brotherhood, and how we come together as a whole,” Wienecke said. “We are a family.”

With the playoffs looming, the Rams look to avoid an early elimination and bring home a championship for the first time since 2011.

The Rams are 24-6 overall in the season, with a 10-1 record in the conference.  However, that does not mean the team is where they need to be.

“We have a lot to work on,” Head Coach Ed Madec stated after the game.

After a strong first half against Porterville, the Rams’ normally stifling defense, which finished with 11 steals, began to falter and gave up a run of unanswered points to end the game on a sour note.

The sense of family and brotherhood is an aspect shared by the players and fans alike, especially after the recent controversy surrounding player Nick Hilton.

Hilton was welcomed with open arms in his first home game, back from suspension for his role in multiple incidents involving alleged “rough” and “illegal” play.

He scored 14 points, dishing out eight assists. Hilton also had two steals in the game.

As the game wore on, the Rams’ effort started to lead to rotations on defense, leaving opposing players wide open for shots.

Looking forward, the Rams hope to make an impact in the playoffs, and Madec has made it clear to his team that they will have to improve their defense in order to do so. The team has the physical presence to accomplish their goals, but every player will need to give their fullest on every possession.

“With defense like that, we will be out after the first round[of playoffs],” Madec said.

Wienecke said the team needs to improve the mental aspect of the game, just as they do physically.“[We need]to get mentally stronger, come together as one and make less mistakes,” he said.

The physical prowess of the Rams has never been in doubt, with every player having a different skillset to wreak havoc on opposing teams.

But when playoff basketball comes around, the success is truly dictated by a team’s chemistry and ability to play as a unit, rather than a group of individuals.

“If we max out to our strengths, we can go to the highest point, and that’s the state,” Wienecke added.

The Rams will finish the season looking to avenge a Jan. 27 loss to College of Sequoias, and then will focus on the playoffs alone so they have the chance to claim the state championship and bring it home to Fresno.