Experience serves Modesto JC in win

The Modesto Junior College Pirates scrambled to stay close Tuesday night. Winning the game would not happen until much later.

But it happened.

The Pirates, trailing 15-3 minutes after the opening tip, gradually reeled in an improved Columbia team and — behind Brett Sayad's 26 points — pushed hard to a 73-69 victory.

"We might've lost this game last year," MJC coach Paul Brogan said.

"We have players on the floor now who understand what it takes to win close games. They've been through it."

A thoroughly entertained crowd of nearly 500 at MJC Gym witnessed a battle of contrasts — the Claim Jumpers' frenetic pace vs. a slightly more controlled but just as aggressive answer from Modesto (3-1).

The Pirates didn't take their first lead until Sayad collected a loose ball, scored from beneath the glass and tacked on a free throw for a 61-58 lead midway through the second half.

Moments later, Sayad's backdoor cut resulted in another 3-point play to cap an inspired 15-0 run.

The 6-foot-6 Sayad, hounded by Columbia's man-to-man defense, showed off his improved strength.

Bothered early in the game by the Claim Jumpers' 6-7 Evan Scott (11 points), he eventually broke down the Columbia pressure and finished around the rim.

"We started to get the loose balls. Everything was ours, not theirs," he said. "Let them bang me. They're going to get tired before I am."

Modesto's satisfaction stems in part from turning back a determined opponent.

Columbia (2-2), brandishing a more far-flung roster for the first time during Nate Rien's term as head coach, didn't look like a team that had beaten MJC only once in the last seven years.

In fact, the Claim Jumpers trotted out former Golden Valley star John Sykes (17 points) and Travos Mayo (10) — two of their 16 freshmen — and nearly broke open the game in the first five minutes.

Modesto absorbed the initial blow and gained traction. The Pirates meshed a pleasing array of skills — a 6-7 240-pound Julius Brazzel (13 points, 9 rebounds), a 5-7 floor-crashing ex-Manteca quarterback Ruben Cedano, 6-1 Booker Hinton (13 first-half points) and 6-5 leaper Jordan Sergent.

The 6-5 Sergent, a 2007 graduate of Sonora High, appears frail until he flies toward the roof to make critical plays. His spike-tip ignited Modesto's comeback, and another tipin extended Modesto's lead to 70-67 with 1:31 to go. All nine of his points came at critical moments.

"Jordan Sergent is going to give me nightmares," Rien said. "We didn't box him out. The kid did a great job."

Sergent spent one year in Colorado but returned to the valley and, to Columbia's dismay, rebooted his hoops career at MJC.

"He surprises people," Brogan said. "You look at him and you can't see how that can happen. He's a super-athlete."

It wasn't until Cedano's two free throws with 24 seconds to go extended Modesto's advantage to 72-67. What the Pirates did wasn't easy, nor was it pretty, but it resulted in one of their better November victories in years.

"We settled down and started to make plays off our sets with backdoor cuts," Brogan said. "Columbia is much improved. Their style fits their personnel perfectly. We just had to make plays. That's what it's all about."

Bee staff writer Ron Agostini can be reached at ragostini@modbee.com or 578-2302.