A run to the postseason begins now for the Porterville College men's basketball team. Ranked No. 23 in the state, expectations are high for new head coach Amaurys Fermin and the Pirates. PC closed out its non-conference schedule at 9-4 and will have to navigate through an always-tough Central Valley Conference to earn a spot in the playoffs.
The Pirates got one step closer as they opened conference play with an 103-86 victory over a talented West Hills College Lemoore squad on Wednesday night in Porterville.
Porterville (10-4, 1-0 CVC) built up a 52-39 lead at the break and was able to hold off West Hills Lemoore (6-7, 0-1 CVC) in a close second half.
Chirrag Sidhu led PC with 20 points as he made 5 of 7 three-pointers on the night. He also grabbed 6 rebounds and had 4 assists.
Julio Phipps (15 points, 6 rebounds), Jaden Jones (14 points, 5 rebounds), Alberto Laureano (13 points, 5 rebounds, 4 steals), and Quame Smith (12 points, 5 rebounds) all contributed to the victory.
Up next, the Pirates will face one if its biggest challenges of the season when they are scheduled to host No. 7 College of the Sequoias on Saturday (Jan. 15) at home in a CVC game.
