David Niklasson came off the bench to score 24 pts, leading a hot-shooting Santa Rosa squad to a stunning 76-68 win over host and #2-ranked Fresno in the Third Place game of the Fresno City College Classic.
The game was close all the way - the largest lead of the game for either team was the final margin - and pitted two of the top coaches in California: Craig McMillan, whose Bear Cubs won the 2014 state championship and Ed Madec, whose Rams won it all in 2007 and 2012.
After Fresno started the game with 3-pointers by Ramiro Sanchez and Nick Hilton, Santa Rosa (4-2) went on an 11-0 run to take a 13-6 lead. The Bear Cubs made their first 5 shot attempts of the game, foreshadowing things to come, but that 7-point margin would be the largest of the game for either team until the final seconds.
Fresno (3-3) tied the score at 19, but Santa Rosa went right back in front and led the rest of the half. A steal by Jacob Wilson led to a basket by Niklasson to push Santa Rosa's lead to six points at 34-28, but a driving lay-up by Chris Daniels and two free throws by B.J. Shelton in the final minute brought Fresno within two points at the break, 34-32.
The lead changed hands multiple times in the second half. Fresno took a 38-34 lead early in the second half after a 3-pointer by Evan Stillahn, capping a 10-0 run over halftime. Santa Rosa answered with an 8-0 run to lead, 42-38, after a 3-pointer and a 2-point jumper by Niklasson.
Fresno went back in front on a 3-pointer by Aaron Cameron, but then Santa Rosa wenbt on an 8-1 spurt to lead, 50-44. Fresno answered with an 8-0 run to take a 52-50 lead with 9:24 to play. Santa Rosa went back in front on a 4-point play by Siaan Rojas and led, 60-54, with 7:47 to go, but Fresno answered with a 7-0 spurt and took a 61-60 lead on a basket by Jaffrey Stillman with 6:15 left.
Santa Rosa went back on top on a basket by Niklasson off a pass from Jordan Hickman, and the lead never changed hands again. A 3-pointer by Wilson made it 65-61. Kiel Long made a three to stretch the lead to five, and his driving lay-up with just under two minutes left made it 72-66.
Fresno got two freee thorws from Cole Morgan with one minute to go to cut the margin to four, and got the ball back moments later on a steal. But a turnover gave the ball back to Santa Rosa. Two free throws by Hickmam and two by Rojas in the final 18.9 seconds clinched the win for Santa Rosa.
Niklasson led all scorers with his 24 pts, which came on 8-for-14 from the floor and 5-for-6 from the line and included 3 three-pointers. Rojas had a strong all-around game with 17 pts, 7 rebs, 7 asts and 2 blocked shots. Long had 15 pts on 5-for-5 from the floor, including 3 threes. Overall Santa Rosa shot 52% overall and 56% in the second half with 7 threes among its 14 made baskets after halftime.
For Fresno, Shelton had a team-high 12 pts and added 9 rebs and 3 asts. Stillahn came off the bench for 11 pts, including 3 three-pointers. Hilton had 6 pts and 5 asts despite foul trouble. It should be noted that in Fresno's third game in three games for the second straight weekend Madec channeled his inner Popovich and mostly rested starters Josh Sykes and Mike Crawley. They played only a few minutes each with neither attempting a shot.
box score
2015 Fresno City College Classic
Sunday, November 15th @ Fresno City College
Third Place Game - 2 pm
Fresno Rams 68:
1-Nick Hilton, PG - 2/10 fg, 2 reb, 5 ast, 2 stl, 4 pf, 6 pts
4-Aaron Cameron, SG - 3/9 fg, 1 ast, 2 stl, 2 pf, 8 pts
14-Jaffrey Stillman, C - 2/2 fg, 3/4 ft, 2 reb, 1 stl, 7 pts
15-B.J. Shelton, PF - 5/9 fg, 2/2 ft, 9 reb, 3 ast, 2 pf, 12 pts
35-Ramiro Sanchez, SF - 2/2 fg, 2 reb, 1 stl, 6 pts
3-Terrance Weineke, F - 0/4 fg, 1/2 ft, 2 reb, 1 ast, 1 stl, 2 pf, 1 pt
10-Taylor Freeman, G - 1/3 fg, 1 ast, 2 pf, 3 pts
21-Chris Daniels, F - 2/3 fg, 2/2 ft, 1 ast, 4 pf, 7 pts
33-DeAngelo Ashley, C - 1/3 fg, 1 reb, 2 pf, 2 pts
34-Cole Morgan, F - 1/2 fg, 3/4 ft, 1 reb, 3 ast, 3 stl, 1 pf, 5 pts
20-Evan Stillahn, G - 4/9 fg, 2 reb, 11 pts
22-Josh Sykes, C - 1 reb, 1 pf, 0 pts
2-Mike Crawley, F - 0 pts
team rebounds: 4
Totals: 23/56 fg (.411), 11/14 ft (.786), 28 reb, 16 ast, 0 blk, 10 stl, 20 pf, 68 pts
3-pt fg (11): Stillahn 3, Hilton 2, Cameron 2, Sanchez 2, Freeman, Daniels
Turnovers (17): Cameron 2, Shelton 2, Sanchez 2, Morgan 2, Sykes 2, Stillman, Weineke, Freeman, Daniels, Ashley, Stillahn, Crawley
Santa Rosa Bear Cubs 76:
10-Josh Douglas, PG - 2/5 fg, 3 reb, 2 ast, 1 pf, 5 pts
22-Jacob Wilson, SG - 3/7 fg, 1/1 ft, 2 reb, 4 ast, 1 stl, 2 pf, 8 pts
24-Kiel Long, SF - 5/5 fg, 2/2 ft, 2 reb, 2 ast, 1 stl, 1 pf, 15 pts
32-Siaan Rojas, PF - 5/9 fg, 4/5 ft, 7 reb, 7 ast, 2 blk, 2 pf, 17 pts
43-Arnold Silva, C - 1/3 fg, 1 reb, 1 ast, 4 pf, 2 pts
25-David Niklasson, G - 8/14 fg, 5/6 ft, 4 reb, 1 ast, 1 stl, 1 pf, 24 pts
33-Jordan Hickman, F - 1/3 fg, 3/4 ft, 5 reb, 4 ast, 1 blk, 1 stl, 4 pf, 5 pts
15-Michael Septimo, G - 0/2 fg, 1 ast, 1 stl, 1 pf, 0 pts
team rebounds: 7
Totals: 25/48 fg (.521), 15/18 ft (.833), 31 reb, 22 ast, 3 blk, 5 stl, 16 pf, 76 pts
3-pt fg (11): Long 3, Rojas 3, Nicklasson 3, Douglas, Wilson
Turnovers (18): Wilson 5, Niklasson 4, Douglas 2, Long 2, Rojas, Silva, Hickman, Septimo, team
Halftime Score: Santa Rosa 34, Fresno 32
Updated Records: Santa Rosa 4-2, Fresno (#2-North, #5-Calif) 3-3
Santa Rosa made its first 5 shots of the game to lead 13-6.
The lead changed hands numerous times after that but neither team led by more than 8.
Santa Rosa took a 62-61 lead on a basket by Niklasson with about 6 mins left and led the rest of the way.
Santa Rosa shot 56% in the 2nd half (14/25) with 7 made threes.
