Breaking News
Chico State's independent student newspaper

The Orion

Chico State's independent student newspaper

The Orion

Chico State's independent student newspaper

The Orion

A two-faced team

Published 2007-01-25T00:00:00Z”/>

archives

Grant Hotaling

The roller coaster ride that has defined the men’s basketball team’s season continued over winter break, rising enthusiastically at times before eventually dipping, creating frustration for all of those who are along for the ride.

The Wildcats started the break with back-to-back losses to Cal State Stanislaus before going on a three-game winning streak that included an inspiring 75-47 blowout win against nationally ranked Seattle University.

“We were on all cylinders that night,” said head coach Puck Smith. “It just illustrates what we’re capable of.”

The ‘Cats then went on the road, losing a game at Cal Poly Pomona and coming up short against Cal State San Bernardino, which leads the California Collegiate Athletic Association.

Going into the weekend, the Wildcats were 3-5 in CCAA play and 5-8 overall. With two home games against teams in the bottom half of the division standings, the ‘Cats hoped to improve their league record.

The team took care of business Thursday night with an exciting 66-56 win over San Francisco State, but it couldn’t finish the job Saturday night in a double-overtime loss to Cal State Monterey Bay, 106-104.

“It’s been an inconsistent roller coaster type ride thus far,” Smith said. “If we don’t play hard every second of every game, we don’t have a chance to win.”

Smith’s point was proven Saturday night when the ‘Cats appeared to have control of the game with a nine-point lead and less than five minutes to play, but Cal State Monterey Bay began to wear down the defense and Chico State got into foul trouble.

Andy Bocian, one of the team’s leading scorers, fouled out with a minute left and could only watch as Cal State Monterey Bay rallied back and forced overtime, eventually winning in double overtime.

“It’s like we have two personalities,” Bocian said after the game. “One game we’ll come to play, one game we won’t.”

One part of the Wildcats team that has been consistent this year has been the play by guard Jon Baird, who came into last weekend’s games averaging more than 16 points a game and was named CCAA player of the week for his roles in two wins the week of Dec.

18-25.

“Jon is a warrior,” Smith said. “He does everything he can do to make sure we have a chance to win.”

The Wildcats now find themselves 4-6 in CCAA play with 12 games left in the season. They’ll need to make a run if they hope to make it to the playoffs this year.

“We need to do the little things like block out and get stops on defense,” Brandon Sligh said Saturday, after scoring a career-high 17 points to go along with eight rebounds in the loss to Cal State Monterey Bay.

“If we grind down defensively, we can come out of here with something,” added Bocian.

The Wildcats head on the road this weekend, with games Thursday at Sonoma State and Saturday at Humboldt State.

Grant Hotaling can be reached at <a href= “mailto:[email protected]”>[email protected]</a>

        Leave a Comment
        More to Discover

        Comments (0)

        All The Orion Picks Reader Picks Sort: Newest

        Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *