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College of the Redwoods clinched at least a share of the Golden Valley Conference championship in men’s basketball for the third straight year with a 74-65 win at Siskiyous on Thursday night.

The victory lifts the Corsairs to 7-1 in conference with two games remaining and leaves them two wins clear of second-placed Butte (5-3), which lost to Shasta on Wednesday.

The CR men will try to clinch the championship outright for the third straight year when they visit Butte on Saturday.

It is the first time in program history that the CR men have won back-to-back-to-back championships.

“What an impressive performance by every member of this basketball family,” said head coach Ryan Bisio. “This is by far the most mature basketball we’ve played, and we did it in the biggest spot. This is an historic group of people.”

Trey Neff set the tone early and scored 22 of his team-high 26 points in the first half, as the Corsairs showed no letdown on their way to a fifth straight win. 

“Trey had that look in his eyes tonight,” Bisio said. “He made a big statement right away that we were here to play.

“You’re not going to find many players with the ingredients he possesses. Coaching him is a dream come true.”

Kai Purcell added 19 points in the win, as the CR men improved to 23-3 on the season, while Jon Nchekwube finished with 14 points.

And they weren’t the only players to impress.

“In crunch time, Aidan (Atkins-Salazar) had back-to-back buckets to put us over the top,” Bisio said. “He’s our spiritual leader, our defensive leader, and for him to make those plays to seal it was a special moment for all of us.”

The conference title should be enough to give the Corsairs a home game for the playoffs.