The Redwoods men are beginning to build some early-season momentum on the basketball court.
On Monday, CR made it three straight wins, following a couple of weekend victories at the Napa Valley tournament with an 83-79 win at Cuesta.
With the three wins, CR improved to 3-1 on the season.
“While we are still far from putting together a complete team performance, I feel like we continue to make strides in that direction,” head coach Justin Claus said. “With each game we are playing longer stretches at the level and with the style that we know we are capable of.
“The challenge now is to make even larger strides in real time.”
Ty Dahlin led the way in Monday’s game and finished with a team-high 20 points and nine rebounds, while Maxx Swanson added 17 points and Scott Nardinelli had 16 points.
Nardinelli also had a big game on defense, taking on the challenge of marking Cuesta’s leading scorer.
Claus says he was happy with the balanced offensive approach from the team.
“We are getting better at finding the right scorer at the right time, rather than relying on any one individual to carry the scoring load,” the coach added. “More and more we are recognizing where our advantages are, making the right decisions, and trusting one another to capitalize on those opportunities.
“This is the kind of basketball we want to play, and it was encouraging to see more of if it today.”
The CR men also won a pair of games at the Napa Valley tournament on Friday and Saturday, defeating the host school 81-63 on opening day and following that with a 93-91 over Mendocino in overtime on Saturday.
Donald Bickle hit a floater at the buzzer to secure the victory over Mendocino.
“It was a difficult game with a lot of fouls, free throws and adversity for us to navigate,” Claus said.
Dahlin fouled out in overtime, while Swanson and Nardinelli each played with four fouls down the stretch.
But Redwoods overcame that adversity.
“It certainly wasn’t our best performance, but I think the experience off having to fight through those challenges and find a way to win a close game in overtime is incredibly valuable, especially this early in the season,” Claus said.
“There is a lot we can learn form this game, and it’s always better to learn those lessons while coming away with a win.”
Jeramiah Chavez enjoyed a big day in the win, finishing with a team-high 22 points and “making big play after big play,” according to the coach, especially late in the game when his team needed it the most.
“There were several moments where we simply would not have been in a position to win without his performance,” Claus said. “I really felt like this was a breakout game for Jeramiah at the college level.”
Nardinelli also had a big performance and added 18 points, while also guarding Mendocino’s best player for the entire game.
“His defensive effort and discipline were huge for us, particularly considering the foul trouble we were navigating as a team,” Claus said.
Dahlin also had a team-high 22 points, while Bickle came up with the late heroics, taking advantage of his opportunity with a clutch game winner.
“Bickle is someone who is completely committed to how we want to play basketball,” Claus said. “He is often the motor behind our offensive movement, and he leads by example every day in his willingness to move, make decisions and play within our style.”
Claus also praised his assistant coaches Zac Claus and Donald Willis, whom he says have been “outstanding with their in-game communication, decision making and ability to recognize what we need in different situations.”
CR will continue its road trip with games at Sequioas on Tuesday and at Merced on Wednesday.
