The Bakersfield College men’s basketball team season is blooming: They are the No. 1 seed in the Southern California Regional playoffs.
The team defeated College of the Canyons 94-90 Feb. 14 thanks in part to well-orchestrated passes, said their coaches. BC had suffered its only loss of the season to Canyons 94-98 Jan. 20. The men’s team is excited to engage in their state playoffs, according to Head Coach Rich Hughes.
“They just want to play,” said Assistant Coach Aaron Chavez of the team’s eagerness to get to the playoffs. “They’ve had enough talk.”
The men’s team creamed Glendale 125-80 Feb. 17 at Glendale. The Renegades made 23 3-pointers, breaking their record of 19.
“That’s never been done before at BC,” Hughes said.
According to Chavez, the team demonstrated excellent shooting ability in their game with Glendale.
“The team played as a team. We’re hoping that will continue in playoffs,” Chavez said. In the playoffs, the team will face either Cuyamaca or Santa Ana at 7 p.m. Saturday at BC’s Gil Bishop Sports Complex. According to Chavez, it really does not matter who they face in the playoffs.
“At this point, everybody’s good,” Chavez said.
According to Hughes, Santa Ana’s strengths are shooting and hitting 3-pointers.
“They’re (Santa Ana) similar to us,” Hughes said. “They’re a high scoring team like us.” According to Hughes, Cuyamaca is a “half court team” with more patience in delivering shots. “We’re the opposite,” said Hughes. “We take seven and eight seconds on the clock. We take the first available shot.”
In the team’s Feb. 10 game with L.A. Valley, Andrew Ready made 10 assists. Terrence Johns scored 38 points and made 5 3-pointers. According to Hughes, for 16 games, the team has scored over 100 points.