Marysville sweeps Colfax: MHS girls snap Falcons' unbeaten reign in league
Feb. 1—With five games left and the Marysville High boys basketball team on the outside looking in on the upcoming Sac-Joaquin Section playoffs entering Wednesday's home bout with Colfax, time was running out on the defending SJS Division IV champions.
Marysville needed a win on Wednesday and the team knew it.
"Our kids really locked in tonight," Marysville assistant coach Danny Lewis said.
It was defense that won the night across the gym, as Marysville held Colfax to nine points in the first half and 15 after three to complete the Pioneer Valley League sweep over the league's second place team, 49-30.
"From tipoff they were ready to go and what it means for our season," Lewis said. "The sentiment from the coaching staff is play every game like your season is on the line every single night because realistically it is."
Marysville's win moved the club into a tie for fourth in the PVL at 6-4, while Sutter, a winner over Center on Wednesday, and Colfax sit tied for second at 7-3. Twelve Bridges, Marysville foe tonight (Friday), leads the league at 10-0 with four games left.
The SJS permits three automatic berths into the playoffs from the PVL The fourth place finisher could earn an at-large bid on Feb. 10 during the SJS selection show if the team is ranked in the top-15 in MaxPreps' latest division rankings prior to the show.
"Hopefully it doesn't come to that," Colfax head coach Devin Ginty said.
Ginty said the PVL is extremely tough and is bottled up at the top so every game is a must-win the rest of the way.
Ginty called Marysville a solid defensive unit that could surprise a few more teams.
"A lot of credit to Marysville, they played really great defense, took us out of some stuff and punched us in the mouth," Ginty said. "It was a big defensive battle tonight — 9-7 at the end of the first quarter ... They show signs that they have a good road ahead of them."
Up two after one quarter, Marysville (14-10, 6-4 PVL) continued to pressure Colfax (16-7, 7-3) in the backcourt, forcing multiple turnovers. Bradford Pietz had three steals, Elias Delozier forced turnovers on back — to-back possessions in the second as Marysville outscored Colfax, 7-2 in the second quarter to go up 18-9 at the break.
The Indians didn't relent in the third as Pietz hit a pair of 3-pointers, while fellow senior Josiah Arrington and junior Jordan Brooks each finished putbacks to balloon the lead to 35-15 after 3.
Arrington finished with a game-high 15, including 12 in the second half, while Pietz added seven, Delozier six and Brooks 7 points.
Lewis said Marysville is in a good place right now.
"If you have told me a few games ago that this team would have only a few losses in league, possibly a playoff lock and maybe even a chance at a home playoff game I would have looked at you crazy, but the way the kids are playing, the way they are locked in, and the adjustments we are making who knows we might go into Twelve Bridges and win? Lewis said.
Marysville will be in Lincoln tonight to take on Twelve Bridges (20-4, 10-0) — a team it lost to 78-44 in Marysville — in the nightcap of a Friday doubleheader with the girls team.
Colfax, meanwhile, looks to regroup, today at Center
"There are some good moments for us of guys stepping up," Ginty said. "We have to continue to rely on our bench the deeper you get into league and playoffs."
Julian Piette led Colfax with seven against Marysville, while Diego Maldonado provided six on a pair of 3s.
In other action ....
Marysville 38, Colfax 37
The Indians stopped Colfax's reign at an unbeaten PVL championship with a 38-37 win in Placer County over the Falcons on Wednesday night.
It was only the second loss for Colfax in league since 2018-19 — the other coming to Marysville last year.
Marysville moved into a first place tie with Colfax (22-2, 9-1) at 17-4 overall and 9-1 in league.
Krystal Briggs and Abigail Pietz each provided 14 points, while Demi Boykin added six, helping takedown MaxPreps' No. 1 Division IV in California.
Marysville trailed by four after one and seven points at the break before a 16-point fourth quarter helped the visitors leave Placer County with the win.
Marysville is at Twelve Bridges (10-14, 4-6) at 5:30 p.m. today.
Prep boys wrestling
Sutter runner-up in Team Dual D-V finals
Sutter finished second last weekend at the Team Dual Championships in Division V, falling to Escalon in the finals.
Sutter was led by Brian Peck, Braden Whitmore, Owen Keslinger, Carter DeLacerna, Keenan Parkhurst and Ivan Tibbet, who all went 2-0 in their respective matches.
The Huskies travel to Colfax Saturday to compete in the Pioneer Valley League playoffs.
College basketball
Yuba College 93, Marin 72
The 49ers won their 14th straight game and 20th on the year with a blowout at College of Marin Wednesday.
Head coach Doug Cornelius said the team shot 11-of-20 from the field in the first half to get the jump on Bay Valley Conference foe Marin (8-13, 5-4).
Majer Sulivan recorded 13 points and 13 rebounds, while Demarreya Lewis-Cooper provided 18 points, seven rebounds and eight assists for the 49ers (20-2, 10-0 BVC).
Caden Flowers dropped in 16, while Rohan Sheemar chipped in with four made threes and finished with 12.
Yuba, ranked No. 6 in the state's Jan. 29 poll, hosts Alameda (5-17, 4-6) at 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday in the first of six games left.
Yuba College's women fell at Marin, 57-33 Wednesday.
