CHICO – One foggy morning on the north coast of California, a young man prepared to take to the seas for the first time in his life. His dad was taking him fishing. They had a nice breakfast, went to the dock, and boarded the boat. All was right with the world as they left the bay. The boy stood at the front of the boat to taste the salty air and take in the view.
His line was in the water as soon as they reached their destination. Visions of the day’s limit bobbed through his mind. It wasn’t more than two minutes and the first fish was on. Five minutes later he pulled in another one. Then the day took a sour turn. He spent the last six miserable hours losing his aforementioned breakfast.
When the boat finally reached harbor, that young man was the first on the dock. The familiar feel of level ground was a godsend. It felt like home.
The Chico State men’s basketball team has had a similar experience over the last two weeks. They embarked on a stretch of five games in 13 days feeling as though the world was their oyster and boasting a better-than-expected record of 7-2. Sure enough, they won their first two games of the string at UC San Diego and Cal State East Bay. Then, things got a bit nauseating for the Wildcats. They lost at Humboldt State, Sonoma State, and Cal State Stanislaus during a six-day stretch.
But they will step on to their home court in Acker Gym to play this weekend and it will feel like a godsend. They’ll finally be back home where they will play nine of the last 13 games of their regular-season schedule, beginning with Cal State L.A. Friday night and Cal State Dominguez Hills Saturday night. Tipoff for both games is scheduled for 7:30.
Friday’s matchup gives the Wildcats a chance to snap their season-long three game losing streak and pull even with Cal State L.A. for third place in the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) standings. Chico State is 9-5 overall and 5-4 in the CCAA. Cal State L.A. comes to town with an overall record of 10-4, including 6-3 in the CCAA.
Saturday night’s matchup with Cal State Dominguez Hills is also important in the standings. Chico State and Dominguez Hills are two of the fourth teams currently tied for fourth in the CCAA.
Click here to see this weekend's game notes and stats package.