49ers set for playoff showdown tonight

BVC champs take 14-game winning streak into CCCAA rematch vs. Ohlone

The Yuba College men's basketball team begins its quest for a return trip to the Elite 8 when it tips off the California Community College Athletic Association playoffs tonight at home against Ohlone College of Fremont.

The 49ers (23-5), who are seeded No. 3 in the Northern California side of the bracket, captured their 11th Bay Valley Conference title in the last 12 years this season and enter tonight's game riding a 14-game winning streak.

They had a bye to open the playoffs, while No. 14 Ohlone (1614) earned a 70-65 victory over No. 19 West Valley in its playoff opener on Wednesday night.

Tonight's game will also be a rematch of last year's playoff game, which Yuba won 65-53 at home to earn a berth to the Elite 8 in Livermore.

This year's squad is led by freshman point guard Elishja Duplechan, who was voted the BVC'S Most Valuable Player after posting team highs with an average of 17.9 points, 5.2 assists and 2.2 steals per game.

Jeryn Lucas and Thomas Austerfjord were both named to the ALL-BVC first team for the 49ers, and Josh Dhatt, Isaiah Bates, Jashon Lewis and Clayton Stultz were each second-team selections.

That said, Yuba will have a test on its hands against a high-scoring Ohlone team that is deadly from the outside.

“They are one of the best 3-point shooting teams in the state,” said Yuba coach Doug Cornelius. “They can flat-out shoot it, so we have to defend the 3-point line.”

Cornelius added that the 49ers do have a weapon in guard Donald Jackson, a defensive stopper and the team's energy-maker off the bench.