Eagle Men in Basketball Playoffs for Third Year in A Row

Head coach Kyle Heath feels like his team is playing with house money going into Wednesday night's first round CCCAA Men's Basketball NorCal Regionals playoff game at Columbia College in Sonora.

The Eagles (12-16 overall) reached the postseason for the third year in a row after following a good preseason with a 3-7 record in the Golden Valley Conference. They're seeded No. 22, same as last year when they won the GVC championship.

Only two GVC teams reached the playoffs a year ago, but all six got in this year, including No. 23 Lassen, which won just 10 games overall while also finishing 3-7 in conference. That's a first for a conference that has had its complaints about not getting enough postseason respect in the past.

The Eagles had no returning starters this year and many freshmen who displayed a lot of talent. But the team didn't always shoot great, struggled at times to take care of the ball, and never won a home game.

Still, 6-foot-4 freshman forward Jacob Dallas made 1st Team All-Conference while ranking third in conference scoring (16.6 points per game), fifth in field goal percentage (56.5), sixth in rebounding (7.9 per game), and sixth in blocked shots.

Another freshman, 6-3 guard Jeremiah Collins, was Honorable Mention All-Conference while ranking fourth in conference scoring (16.1 ppg), first in free throws made (145), near the top in free throw shooting percentage (77.5), second in steals (2.2), and 10th in rebounds (5.4).

And 6-1 sophomore Josh Allen, who returned after missing all last season with an injury, made the GVC All-Defensive team. He's third on the team with 9.8 points per game, leads the team with 3.2 assists per game and is 11th in conference in steals, just a tenth of a percent behind sophomore teammate Matt McEwen.

Heath said the Eagles were gathered Sunday for a team meal that turned into a celebration when they got the news about making the playoffs. They then had a good practice Monday and planned to practice Tuesday before getting on the road. "The guys realize this is something they can put on their resume, and they'll always have a banner in the gym."

Columbia (22-6) is the 12 seed and will be a tough matchup, Heath said. Columbia went 12-2 and finished second to No. 3 seed Sequoias in the Central Valley Conference. The Eagles lost to Columbia during an early-season tournament, 79-56; and Columbia handed Sequoias its only conference loss last week. Their guard, Rashaud Bradley, the CVC's leading scorer, tallied 45 points in that game.

Heath described Sonora as a small town similar to Weed and a school with a unique gym. He said the team is excited about playing there and enjoying a few more days of a long season that has stretched from late August to late February.

The Eagles won 7 of their first 11 pre-conference games in November and were 9-9 before starting conference. They had four good wins that Heath believes led to their spot in the playoffs. Two of

those wins were at the Mendocino Tournament in late November, first over Cuesta (19-9) and then over Los Medanos, 105-103 in triple overtime. They also beat No. 15 seed Shasta and No. 17 seed Butte in conference and lost some close ones: 86-85 in double overtime to No. 23 Lassen, 96-90 to No. 10 Feather River, 79-73 to No. 9 Redwoods, and 69-62 to Shasta.

Redwoods (8-2 and 21-7) won the GVC for the fourth time in five years, a streak broken by the Eagles last year. Shasta (6-4, 15-12) finished second, Feather River (5-5, 17-10) and Butte (5-5, 16-12) tied for third.

The Bay Valley Conference, which like the GVC has a collection of smaller NorCal schools, got four playoff spots this year. "Between the GVC and BVC that's 10 of the 24 playoff teams," Heath said. "That's pretty crazy."

Two years ago, the Eagles took a team with many freshmen to the playoffs, and they came back last year as sophomores to win the GVC championship. Some of them were in the stands for the Shasta game Feb. 18th when the Eagles recognized last year's conference MVP, Dylan Neufeld, with a jersey on their All-State Wall of Fame.

After many years outside the playoffs, the Eagles are there for the third time in a row, a sign the program is moving in the right direction.

By Steve Gerace