Redwoods holds off Merced in playoffs
Cheong's free throws seal 85-81 regional win
The College of the Redwoods men's basketball team held on for a thrilling win over Merced College on Wednesday night 8581 as the Corsairs survived and advanced to the second round of the Northern California regional playoffs, where they'll be on the road once again facing Chabot College.
The Corsairs came in as the No. 22 seed on the road at the 11thseed Blue Devils home court and didn't blink as they fought for the win till the final whistle to complete the upset.
“This was one of the most incredible basketball games I've ever been a part of. It's what college basketball is all about. The drama, the big plays, the guts and the courage,” Corsairs head coach Ryan Bisio said. “Our resolve to fight Merced off all night was astonishing.”
The Corsairs established a lead early on, taking a 10-point advantage less than seven minutes into the game after sophomore Trey Neff hit a three to make it 20-10. Neff scored 13 points but only played 12 minutes as he had to work around foul trouble all game long. The hot start for CR continued when freshman Mason Mottashed hit a three of his own in front of the Merced bench to make it a 13-point first-half lead for the Corsairs on the road.
CR stymied Merced's scoring in the early goings, switching from a man to zone defense to confuse the Blue Devils, with the Corsair lead growing as high as 16 in the first half. Merced wouldn't stay down for long, as they heated up from behind the arc to trail by just three at the half at 48-45.
Sophomore Mason Railsback opened the second half with an and-one to push the Corsair lead to six to start a compelling second half of basketball. CR would build another double-digit lead in the second half but the sophomore pairing of guards Tyreon Payne and Yasir Rowell brought
Merced right back, combining for 57 of the 81 points for the Blue Devils. Along with their scoring, the constant pressure put on the rim by Payne and Rowell got CR into foul trouble, with four Corsairs finishing the game with four fouls.
Merced got the game within three points once again with just over six minutes to play. The game remained within one possession until a made three by Cheong with four and a half minutes remaining to push the CR lead to six points.
The leading scorer for CR on Wednesday was sophomore Jett Cheong who provided the Corsairs with 25 crucial points. After his made three, Merced once again worked their way back, crawling within two points after a pair of made free throws by Payne.
A layup by Railsback gave CR the 78-74 lead with 2:30 to play, as every time Merced moved within one possession, the Corsair defense was able to find an answer and hold them there. A three by Neff put CR up five with under two minutes remaining but Merced was still not done, drilling a three of their own on the ensuing possession.
Merced would finally tie the game with 41.5 seconds to play. The Corsairs stayed calm and Neff found Cheong underneath the basket who was fouled and sent to the line with a chance to put CR on top with 17.4 to play,
Cheong delivered a couple of swishes and put CR on top once again.
Rowell tried to drive against the CR defense but was whistled for a travel with 6.3 seconds left, a crushing turnover but there was still time left to foul and get the ball back. The only issue for the Blue Devils being that they fouled Jett Cheong, Cheong returned to the free throw line and sunk a pair of clutch free throws to put the Corsairs up four, icing the game and ending Merced's season.
“Not only did Jett ice the game at the free throw line, he stayed steady and poised all night against as much pressure and resistance he's faced all year,” Bisio said of the sophomore. “His composure is really the reason we won this game. Of all the great performances in his career, this was a real signature one.”
Following Cheong's free throws, Merced tried a lastsecond attempt at drawing a foul while shooting a three, but no foul was called and no three was hit as the Corsairs advanced to face Chabot College on Saturday at 7 p.m.
Behind Cheong's 25, Railsback finished with 17 and sophomore Kai Purcell added 14 while Neff added 13 in the win.
“It's tournament time, and these types of upsets make March special for everybody involved,” Bisio said. “As rare as it is to see this big of an upset, our guys knew we were playing our best ball of the year right now and were ready to play.”