UPDATE, Feb. 21:

The No. 13 seed Eagles were beaten by No. 4 Sierra High, 74-54, in the opening game of the CIF Central Section Division V playoffs, Feb. 20.

After a close first half, the Eagles were down by six at half.  The game continued to be close until the fourth quarter when Sierra took a lead of 20 and held on to win.

Coach John Penberthy reflects on the improvements made throughout the season and the future of the basketball program.

“I am very proud of my team and all we have done this year. Next year will be a good year for the basketball team with all of the young talent we have next year I will be expecting big things.”

Wyatt Koop, ’18, states how he feels about playing his last game at Fresno Christian.

“I am very sad that it was my last final basketball game.” Koop said,”I’m happy that I was able to play for coach Penberthy and to play with all my friends. My all time favorite moment was when Suky sent us to overtime with a clutch three at Minarets.”

The boys basketball team is entering another season of playoffs. Being the No. 13 seed in the CIF Central Section Division VI playoffs, they play No. 4-seed Sierra High School. The game is in Tollhouse and starts at 7 p.m.

Coming through an up and down season, the boys team is is staying positive for a playoff run. With a league record of 3-7, the team will face some challenges in the upcoming game.

Carston Saelzer, ’21, reflects on the season starting new and all that has lead to this playoff game.

“We started practice at the beginning of the year for our four month season,” Saelzer said. “We get better and better continually every game and practice. This is what counts for us right now; it is do or die. We need to step up to win this game.”

Facing the challenge of replacing 11 senior players who graduated last year, the varsity team now consists of many inexperienced underclassman. This inexperienced team has been a challenge for coach John Penberthy. Penberthy reflects on how this team is different from previous playoff teams.

“Our biggest challenge is that the team is so young,” Penberthy said. “We only have one returning player from last year: Wyatt Koop. We rely on Wyatt a lot to command the team and get everybody in the right spots. We have a lot of kids who have not played at Fresno Christian. I can name half our team and they haven’t played basketball at FC and that will be my biggest challenge for the year.”

Tickets for the varsity basketball first playoff game: Adults–$7; Seniors (65+) & Students w/ID card $5; Children 5 and under are free. For those who are planning on driving to the game at Sierra High School in Tollhouse, the drive will take approximately 45 minutes from campus. 

For more Feather articles, read BREAKING: Girls soccer hosts playoff game, Feb. 16, 20 and COLUMN: Journalism builds professionalism, student portfolios.