The Yuba College men’s basketball team did something that they had not done since the 1984-85 season – win the Bay Valley Conference title. The feat was accomplished on February 21, when the 49ers defeated Napa Valley 93-80. The 49ers (21-10, 11-3) were led by sophomore guard Brett Ost who collected 21 points, while Kenny Smith and Matt Otten contributed 18 points each. The 11-3 conference record was one game better than the second and third place teams in the conference. American River and Sacramento City both finished the season with a 10-4 mark. Yuba coach Doug Cornelius said that if it hadn’t been for the constant injuries his team suffered throughout the year, the 49ers wouldn’t have lost a conference game. The injuries Cornelius speaks of are the ones suffered by players such as Mychael Henry, Lawrence Wright, Smith and Mark Schmidt. Henry was out for most of the early part of the season with a badly sprained ankle, while Wright is out with a broken hand. The decision to play or not is up to Wright, according to coach Cornelius. Smith has been playing on a severely sprained ankle that is near broken according to Cornelius. Schmidt, the 49ers big 6-foot-9 center, is out for the season with a knee injury that he suffered in mid-season. The 49ers are going to be hosting a playoff game for the first time in school history when they face Modesto Junior College on Friday at 7 p.m.. The 49ers are the thirteenth seed, while Modesto is seeded at No. 20.
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