Ray Hamill/HumboldtSports.com – CR head coach Ryan Bisio and some of his players look on during Friday night’s game against City College of San Francisco.

The College of the Redwoods men split a pair of games against tough opponents over the weekend, while both Cal Poly Humboldt teams fell to the Wildcats in a doubleheader at Chico State on Saturday.

One day after hosting the top team in the state, City College of San Francisco, and falling 99-71, the CR men quickly bounced back with an impressive 84-69 win over Cabrillo on Saturday afternoon.

The Corsairs hit 17 3-pointers in the win over a program that reached the elite eight of the state playoffs a year ago.

“Cabrillo is a powerhouse program and they really took it to us in the interior in the first half,” CR head coach Ryan Bisio said. “They were well prepared and came to play. I want to give them a shoutout for coming up here and competing with such integrity.”

CR’s Brandon Lucas finished with a team-high 20 points and hit six of his team’s 17 3s for the game, as the home team carried a slender 31-30 lead into halftime.

Ty Dahlin added 18 points in the win, while teammate Mason Mottashed finished with 16 points.

A strong second half lifted the Corsairs to victory.

“I’m really proud of the way our guys finished the game tonight,” Bisio said after the win. “It was a quick turnaround from the game (on Friday) and our energy level was good and got stronger as the game went on.”

Lucas was hugely influential in the win.

“Brandon Lucas gave us some big jolts down the stretch with his shooting,” the coach added. “He can always blow the lid off a game. It’s unique and  exciting having such a wild card who at any time can catch fire.”

Isai Sow chipped in 11 points for the CR men, who improved to 9-4.

Next up, the Corsairs will play at this week’s Santa Rosa tournament, opening against Pasadena City College (7-3) on Thursday at 8 p.m.

Men

Chico State 93, Cal Poly Humboldt 81

The Jacks lost a high-scoring conference showdown at Chico on Saturday evening and dropped to 1-3 in the CCAA and 4-4 overall.

The high-octane Wildcats remain unbeaten in conference play at 4-0 and are now 7-2 overall.

The Wildcats started strong and were 19-for-36 from the field in the opening half, including seven 3-pointers.

They led 46-34 at halftime. 

The Lumberjacks came out stronger in the second half and shot 62.1 percent from the floor, but the home team maintained their advantage throughout.

Rob Diaz III led the way for the visitors and finished with a team-high 23 points, while teammate Josiah Sanders added 14 points and seven rebounds.

Marsai Mason provided a spark off the bench with 14 points and a game-high eight rebounds.

Defensively, Diaz had two blocks and a steal while Sanders added a team-high three blocks.

Next up, the Jacks will play at Westmont (4-6) in Santa Barbara on Saturday in their final game of 2024.

Tip-off is set for 2 p.m.

Photo by Cal Poly Humboldt Athletics

Women

Chico State 77, Cal Poly Humboldt 54

The Lumberjacks dropped to 2-2 in conference play with a loss at conference-leading Chico State on Saturday afternoon.

The home team started strong and led by 13 after the opening quarter, but the visitors would narrow the deficit to seven before halftime.

However, the second half belong to the Wildcats, who pulled away again and held on for the big victory.

The Jacks are now 3-6 overall, while Chico improved to 4-0 in the CCAA and 8-1 overall.

Dylan Lovett led the way for Humboldt with 12 points and grabbed three rebounds, while teammate Jadis Watson added 10 points, three rebounds and two assists.

Humboldt’s Kaiija Lesane also had nine points, four rebounds, and a team-high four assists.

Next up, the Jacks will play their final game of 2024 on Saturday when they travel to Western Oregon. 

Tip-off is set for 2 p.m.