ARCATA — Four games remain in the California Collegiate Athletic Association men's basketball season, and the time to examine key match-ups, home vs. away schedule and tie-breakers has arrived. On the line for Humboldt State and other teams on the proverbial bubble is a berth in the CCAA Championship Tournament.
The Lumberjacks, now 11-11 overall and 7-11 in league, are currently tied for the eighth and final tournament position with Sonoma State, an opponent HSU will face Friday in Rohnert Park. The Seawolves defeated the Jacks the previous time they met, handing Humboldt a 62-58 loss earlier this season.
"Win or lose, this is the game we'll look back at following the regular season as the pivotal point," HSU head coach
Steve Kinder said. "This is a huge game that will certainly make a difference in the final CCAA standings."
Once Friday's outcome has been determined, the Jacks will need to focus on Saturday's opponent, San Francisco State, from either a position of strength or one of desperation. That contest in S.F. State's "Swamp" is also scheduled for a 7:30 p.m. tip-off.
Head-to-Head
The Jacks lead the Sonoma State Seawolves, 46-37, in the series that began in 1979-80. The Seawolves gained on the Lumberjacks by recording a 62-58 win in Arcata on Jan. 15. …San Francisco State leads the Lumberjacks, 92-61, in the all-time series. HSU edged closer with a 78-67 win in Lumberjack Arena on Jan. 17. Last year the teams split their two CCAA games, each winning on its home court.
On-the-Air
Humboldt State basketball can be once again heard over the airwaves on KATA, 1340 AM, the North Coast's ESPN radio affiliate. BiCoastal Media Sports Director J.B. Mathers describes the action. Airtime is 7:15 p.m. The broadcast will also be streamed live at
http://socialstreamingplayer.crystalmedianetworks.com/radio/kataam.
Streaming Video
Watch Friday's game at Sonoma State live online by directing your internet browser to http://www.sonomaseawolves.com/custompages/live/mbasketball.html. Saturday's contest at San Francisco State can be viewed at http://beca.sfsu.edu/ksfs/gator-sports-network.
LiveStats
Live statistics for Friday's game will be found at http://www.sidearmstats.com/sonoma/mbball/scoreboard.aspx. Fans can track Saturday's statistics at http://www.sidearmstats.com/sfsu/mbball/xlive.htm.
Projected Starters
Humboldt State Lumberjacks
Guard – #22 Cody Kale, 6-3, 190, Jr. from Rocklin
Guard – #24 Austin Bryan, 6-4, 200, Jr. from Wenatchee, Wash.
Forward – #4, Rakim Brown, 6-6, 198, Jr. from Fresno
Forward – #2 Deaundray Robinson, 6-5, 185, Jr. from Baton Rouge, La.
Forward – #55 Brett McConnell, 6-7, 225, Jr. from Mountain View
Sonoma State Seawolves
Guard – #20 Will Olsem, 6-3, 205, Sr. from Sacramento
Guard – #21 Emmanual Bradford, 6-0, 195, Jr. from Oakland
Guard – #24 Patrick Scott, 6-4, 200, Sr. from Grass Valley
Forward – #13 Steve Lackey, 6-7, 205, Jr. from Shingle Springs
Center– #35 Justin Herold, 6-7, 215, Jr. from Santa Rosa
San Francisco State Gators
Guard – #10 Calvin Otiono, 6-2, 185, Jr. from Sacramento
Guard – #15 William Overton, Jr., 6-5, 190, Jr. from Perth Amboy, New Jersey
Foward – #3 Winston Demmin, 6-5, 195, Sr. from Brooklyn, New York
Forward – #32 Decensae White, 6-6, 215, Sr. from Pacifica
Forward – #54 Brandon Tatum, 6-6, 190, Jr. from Oakland
Injury Report
Coming off a week of bumps and bruises, the Jacks appear healed and ready for this week's games. Ethan Dillard has recovered from an ankle injury that slowed him last week, and after being held out of practice Friday, Rocky Brown bounced back from an ankle issue of his own to help HSU to victory Saturday.
Lumberjack Notes
Fans couldn't ask for more thrilling comebacks than those the Lumberjacks achieved in last week's games. On Thursday, they trailed by five points with 24 seconds remaining in regulation, but Austin Bryan hit a pair of 3-pointers to counter a CSU Monterey Bay free throw and send the game to overtime. Freshman Thomas Witzel took over from there, scoring 10 of the Jacks' 19 points in the extra period, helping them claim a 108-100 win. Saturday's contest featured more late heroics, with HSU producing a 21-2 surge to bounce back from an 11-point deficit in the final 6 minutes, 10 seconds on the way to a 77-69 win over Cal State East Bay. "I've looked at the last two games with disbelief," Kinder said. "Both of them were mind-boggling comebacks." …Along with Bryan and Witzel, both Rocky Brown and Deaundray Robinson made key contributions to last week's success. Brown averaged 18 points per game, shooting .550 from the field, and hit seven 3-pointers in 11 attempts. Robinson averaged 16 points and six rebounds, and came away with five steals. …Along with Thursday's heroics, Bryan achieved a perfect 17-of-17 performance from the free throw line in the games combined, and now ranks fourth in the CCAA in free throw percentage at 86.5.
Sonoma State Notes
Last weekend the Seawolves suffered a tough defeat at Cal State Dominguez Hills, losing 74-72 Friday, then fell to Cal State L.A. the following night, 66-56. Sonoma State has dropped three straight games following a three-game winning streak. …Three Seawolves are scoring in double figures, led by senior Patrick Scott's 16.6 points per game. Another senior, Will Olsem, is averaging 14.4 points per game, and has converted 66 3-pointers at a 45.8 percent clip. Junior forward Justin Herold averages 10 points and a team-high 5.4 rebounds per game.
San Francisco State Notes
San Francisco State, 13-9 overall and 11-7 in conference, also lost twice on the difficult Cal State LA-CSU Dominguez Hills roadswing last week. Prior to that trip, SFSU had earned four consecutive wins. The Gators are currently lodged in fourth place in the CCAA. …Junior guard Calvin Otiono is leading his team with an average of 12.8 points per game, and is second in the CCAA with a 3-point shooting percentage of .469. Decensae White (11.9 ppg) and William Overton, Jr., (10.9 ppg) are also scoring in double figures for the Seawolves.
Kinder's Comments
"We had an uninspired start the last time we played Sonoma State. We came back and built a lead, but were unable to finish it." …"(Sonoma State) is a solid team and program. They are also a team that traditionally finishes a season strong." …"San Francisco State is high in the standings. Defeating them would enhance our chances of securing a spot in the tournament. Their tenacious defense makes that a very difficult task." …"We've established one remaining goal, and that is to make the CCAA Tournament. We want to still be playing basketball well into March."
