College of the Redwoods Athletics

A pair of former Arcata Tigers helped the College of the Redwoods men’s basketball team get back on track, but it was one of their teammates who stole the show.

On Wednesday night, the Corsairs got a much-needed win to keep their Golden Valley Conference championship hopes alive, beating conference leaders Siskiyous 93-73.

Reigning conference MVP Trey Neff scored 15 points in the win and became just the fourth player in program history to surpass the 1,000 career points mark.

“Trey’s accomplishment tonight was so special,” head coach Ryan Bisio said. “Even amidst such a monumental feat, his focus remained on winning the game.

“The 1,000 point club is elite status in any program. He’s a hall of fame talent and we’re honored every day he steps in this gym.”

The sharp-shooting Corsairs remained red-hot form downtown and finished with 19 3-pointers in the win.

More importantly, the victory ended a two-game losing streak and lifted them to 2-2 in conference and 12-10 overall.

“Everybody looks like a genius when we make shots, but our persistent energy and focus was ultimately what allowed us to pull away,” Bisio said. “Collectively we scratched out enough stops and rebounds in the second half.”

The Corsairs led 41-32 at halftime.

Former Arcata standouts Kai Purcell and Mason Railsback were both instrumental in the win.

Purcell scored a team-high 22 points, as did teammate Ty Neff, while Railsback added 16 points.

“When Mason Railsback puts heat on the rim, our team’s ceiling expands dramatically,” the head coach added. “When he goes off script and plays with confidence and aggressiveness our entire team feeds off of it.”

With the loss, Siskiyous dropped to 3-1 in conference, allowing unbeaten Feather River (3-0) take over top spot in the standings.

The Corsairs and Lassen are tied for third.

“Siskiyous is a playoff caliber team and they present a lot of challenges,” Bisio said. “We knew we had to play high-level basketball and our guys protected our home court.

The Corsairs, who play at Shasta on Saturday, have won both of their home conference games.

File photo – Trey Neff