The Fresno City College men’s basketball game was one to watch on a rainy Saturday night, seeing the Rams eliminate Sacramento City College in the second round of the CCCAA Northern Regional playoffs.

Sacramento City finishes the year 16-14, while the Rams move on to the third round with an overall record of 26-3.

Both teams were on fire from beyond the three-point line, with SCC hitting 10 of 17 from downtown, compared to the Rams’ eight out of 20, led by sophomore guard David Rico, who shot five for five from three-point land.

The beginning of the game was a nail biter, with both teams scoring left and right.

SCC seemed to have a game plan in mind, trying to get Ethan Richardson to the free throw line. Richardson was a 63.6 percent free throw shooter on the year.  Richardson went on to hit seven out of eleven free throw shots which was good news for FCC.

Foul trouble hit SCC hard early, totalling 10 fouls in the half, five of which coming within the opening five minutes.

SCC came out with an intensity and seemed to score at will despite the foul trouble. The Rams, who trailed early, caught fire near the end of the half, leading to a halftime tie game 42-42.

The Rams came out of the locker room firing, with Rico shooting back to back threes putting the Rams ahead.

Rico had 17 points on the night. Richardson led Rams’ scoring with 33 points, and sophomore guard Georgie Dancer totalled 21 points.

The defense for the Rams turned solid in the second half, with the Rams able to keep SCC in a scoring drought and also giving them an advantage in scoring on the fastbreak.

Both teams played hard but FCC was able to finish of the game with a final score of 91-77.

“We got to give them credit, they hit some amazing shots” Head Coach Ed Madec said after the game. Madec gave credit where credit is due. SCC gave FCC a run for their money but in the end the Rams came out on top.

With this win, the Rams advance to round three of the playoffs. They will now face a tough opponent in Yuba College, who are 25-4 and are the 7th seed in the playoffs.

Round three of the playoffs for the Rams will be held on Saturday March 9, 2019 at 7 p.m. in the gymnasium at FCC.