College basketball | Brandon Lucas buries 10 threes to lead CR to a shootout win over Shasta College

It wasnt easy, but the College of the Redwoods mens basketball team kept pace in the Golden Valley Conference standings with a 96-88 win over Shasta College thanks to a heroic performance from Corsairs sophomore forward Brandon Lucas.

Lucas knocked down 10 threes while scoring a game-high 34 points to hold off Shasta, who did plenty of damage to the Corsairs defense.

Lucas shooting on Wednesday wasnt the greatest in program history, with Isaac Gildea still holding the single-game record for threes in a game, but the 10 threes were needed for CR to remain within one game of first-place Butte in the GVC standings.

Gildea was actually at the game tonight, so Im sure he was proud of that, CR head coach Ryan Bisio said.

Lucas has become indispensable for the Corsairs offense with his ability to stretch the defense while holding down a spot in the CR frontcourt but his route to get there is a unique one.

Lucas is in his second year with CR but its his first since the 2021-22 season after stepping away from basketball the past two seasons.

He was a part of the most threes ever hit in a game in CR history, Bisio said of Lucas back in February 2022 when the Corsairs hit 24 threes, with Lucas adding seven.

He (Lucas) presents a major, major threat from three.

Even at the volleyball line, its not unusual for him to hit shots out there and make it look really easy.

Outside of Lucas, CRs offense wasnt finding much success in the first half.

Lucas scored 12 of the Corsairs first 14 points with four early triples.

Shasta held an 11-point lead with three minutes to play in the first half before a layup by Lucas started a run for CR.

The Corsairs ended the opening half on a 13-3 run, capitalized with Lucas sixth three, which was an and-one to get CR within one point at the half.

CR unleashed an offensive blitzkrieg in the second half, scoring 59 points and hitting 13 of their 21 threes at halftime.

We didnt have great shot selection in general in that first half.

We just were playing with a lack of musicality, Bisio said.

In the second half, the threes came from us all just trying to hit more singles together.

Our ball movement in the second half was incredible.

It wasnt just Lucas in the second half either, sophomore guard Mason Mottashed added four threes, as did freshman guard Marcos Rosales, who scored all 17 of his points after halftime.

Talk about a jolt of energy, Bisio said of Rosales.

Four threes in the second half, just a shot in the arm that we needed.

Mottashed finished with 15 points and six assists, with two of his threes coming in clutch time to help put the finishing touches on Wednesdays win.

He looks like a professional junior college player if there is such a thing, Bisio said.

Late in the game, we have a defensive idea.

I bring him aside on a free throw, give him the idea, he doesnt like the idea, we just go with what he wants.

His leadership is so profound.

Our trust in him is so deep.

Despite the offensive heroics in the second half, CRs defense kept Shasta in the game and the Corsairs will need improvement if they hope to bring home another GVC title.

I cannot remember springing a leak defensively to the extent that we did tonight, Bisio said.

There wasnt a coverage, there wasnt a strategy that they didnt light us up in tonight.

So were going to have to really get back to the drawing board.

Despite the lack of success for the CR defense, Lucas ensured that theyd still escape with a win, nearly five years after initially committing to the Corsairs.

To see him flourishing in this gym, it does make me really emotional, Bisio said of Lucas.

Hes playing his way into more basketball in his future with these types of performances.

In addition to the 34 points, Lucas added seven rebounds and five assists to complete his all-around performance.

Ive never really seen a guy acquire passing skills in the way that he has, Bisio said.

Were coming down the home stretch now and its just so beautiful to see.

Im so proud of him.

The path doesnt get any easier now for the Corsairs, as theyll go on the road to face first-place Butte next Thursday, with the winner owning rights to first place in the GVC.

Dylan McNeill can be reached at 707-441-0526..

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