Second half run pushes Rams over the top against Yuba

March 21, 2009February 25, 2020 The Guardsman

Bennie Rhodes goes hard to the rim before getting fouled by Yuba’s Milos Milosevic March 7 in the Wellness Center. Rhodes finished with a game high — 28 points. MICHAEL CRAIN / THE GUARDSMAN

By Aaron Turner
ASSISTANT SPORTS EDITOR

The California state title is now within the Rams’ sight. This weekend in Fresno will determine whether they go home as champions, or come up short once again.

On March 7, Bennie Rhodes, Steven Brown, and Chris White made sure the Rams would get the opportunity to win it all.

Rhodes led all scorers with 28 points, Brown proved to be a catalyst off the bench, and White kept Yuba College’s inside game under control, as the Rams beat Yuba 98-87 in front of a packed house. This win moves them to the 3rd round of the state playoffs, and places them in prime position to make a run at the championship game.

Yuba came out swinging early, relying primarily on the inside game of forward Bobby Evans. Halfway through the first half, the Rams were down 34-23, with both Greer Wright and Da’Ron Sims in foul trouble. Coach Labagh decided to call a timeout to settle his troops.

“I told them there is only one way they are going to beat us,” said Labagh. “That is if we foul them, or give them extra shot opportunities. They are not a good enough team to hit one shot on us and go.”

White, the conference defensive player of the year, proved to be valuable down low, as he was matched up with a larger Yuba front court all night.
“I knew coming in that they were going to be bigger than us,” said White who had 20 points and 13 rebounds. “My job was basically just to box out and keep them off the boards as much as I can.”

The Rams remained focused and kept their head in the game despite trailing 44-39 at halftime.

In the second half, the Rams stormed out of the gates with a 12-0 run, holding Yuba without a basket in the first six minutes as Brown hit three consecutive buckets from beyond the arc, all of them down the stretch.

Brown’s crisp shooting both energized his team and got the crowd back into the game. The five-point halftime deficit soon turned into a 10-point lead for the Rams. Once up, the team never looked back.

“I think I had like one three-pointer in the past two games, so tonight was the right time to get hot again,” said Brown, who finished with 15 points.
“Steven is a guy where if he’s feeling it, our whole offense is better,” Labagh said. “[Steven] needs that kind of confidence, because if that guy hits one, there are usually more to follow.”

Coach Labagh was also confident about the outcome of the game.

“We were really prepared for everything. We knew exactly what they were going to do the whole game,” Labagh said. “We knew if we could get into halftime within 10, we were gonna win by 15.”

The Rams are scheduled to play No. 3 San Bernadino Valley on Thursday, March 12 at 1 p.m. The game will be played at Selland Arena in the Fresno Convention Center.

“It’s whoever is playing the best, that is who has the best shot at winning it all,” Labagh said. “We are exactly where we want to be, which is coming off our best half of basketball all season.”

It has been 46 years since the men’s basketball team has brought home a state title. Both coaches and fans sincerely believe this year’s team may be the one that finally reclaims the glory.