The Gavilan College men’s basketball team continued its historic season, posting a 67-63 win over Modesto College Friday in a California Community College Athletic Association Northern California playoff game. The No. 7 seed Rams (24-4) play at No. 2 seed Fresno City (26-4) on Saturday, with the winner advancing to the State Tournament.
Gavilan erased a 34-29 halftime deficit with a superior second half against No. 10 seed Modesto (20-9). Ibn Zaid scored a team-high 18 points and Brian King Jr. had 12 for Gavilan, which received 11 points from reserve Mrad Abrha. Kenneth Modica Jr. had a game-high 18 rebounds to help the Rams to a dominating 48-35 rebounding advantage.
The work on the glass and the free throw line—Gavilan was 15 of 25 from the charity stripe compared to 10 of 17 for Modesto—helped the Rams make up for a poor shooting night, as they finished just 25 of 70 from the field (35.7 percent). The Rams, who are the reigning Coast Conference South Division co-champions, who received nine rebounds from Takoda Bowers.
