Ray Hamill/HumboldtSports.com – CR’s Bradley Willis

By Ray Hamill — The Corsairs will be on familiar terms with their opponents in Friday night’s playoff opener, having played Sacramento City College earlier in the season.

The College of the Redwoods men won that game in comfortable fashion by a score of 82-67, but head coach Ryan Bisio is expecting a tougher matchup this time around.

“We beat them pretty handily earlier in the year, but I don’t think that matchup is really representative of where the two teams are now,” he said.

Both teams have come a long ways since then, with CR going a very impressive 16-2 since that matchup on November 22.

The Panthers come into the game with a record of 20-8.

“They’ve got size, and that size is incredibly skilled,” Bisio said. “And they’re very dangerous in transition, and they’re going to be really well organized and well-coached.”

The Panthers average 76.6 points a game and shoot 34.5 percent from 3-point range, while the Corsairs average 81.2 points a game and are shooting 36.6 percent from downtown.

For Bisio and his players — whom he said appear relaxed at practice this week ahead of the big clash — it’s all about playing the way they know they’re capable of playing.

“It’s a matter of us coming out and playing at our highest level,” the head coach said. “At this stage of the season, we have to be playing at a high level.”