CSUB basketball teams face Cal Poly; HS Wrestling league finals; BC spring teams start strong
The schedule for both Cal State Bakersfield basketball teams indicates that there are 11 games left in the regular season. That sounds as if there’s still the proverbial plenty-of-time-to-turn-things-around talk. It could, but in a season that’s had a few ups, but mostly downs, from injuries and close losses or shots not consistently falling, it’s not that easy.
Sure, an 11-game win streak to end the regular season would definitely make things more interesting and the teams would be ecstatic about heading to Henderson, Nev., to compete in March’s Big West Conference Tournament, having a bye or two and be a contender for an NCAA Tournament spot.
But tonight, both the men and the women are facing Cal Poly in Big West Conference play. The women play at San Luis Obispo at 6 p.m. while the men will host the Mustangs at 6:30 p.m. in the Icardo Center.
A win is a necessity for their respective seasons.
The men are 8-13 overall, 2-7 in the Big West, and are tied for last place with UC Riverside. They’ve lost their last four games and two of those games have been by six points. Not bad, but the last two, at home to UC San Diego and at Hawaii a week ago, were by 21 and 27, respectively.
The Roadrunners were already playing without injured senior point guard CJ Hardy when Jaden Alexander, who has had a few high-scoring games this season, joined Hardy on the injured list in the loss to UCSD. Also, Ron Jessamy did not play against Hawaii. The team was led in both games by Dailin Smith, who is the team’s leading scorer and did have 28 against Hawaii. Smith got the bulk of it when he made 20 of 25 free throws, both single-game CSUB records.
The team had just the one game against Hawaii last week; getting a Saturday bye provided rest and a chance to recharge for Cal Poly, which enters with a 7-14 mark and 3-6 in the Big West.
Perhaps the best way to describe the impact of tonight’s women’s game outcome between CSUB (6-13, 1-8) and host Cal Poly (3-16, 1-8) is that the winner will escape last place in the conference standings. If CSUB wins, it will have victories against two teams lower in the standings. CSUB has already beaten Long Beach State once. A win over Cal Poly would be a positive scenario for second-year coach Ari Wideman’s team.
The Roadrunners had Saturday off after conference-leading Hawaii came to town and left with a 64-52 victory last Thursday.
Following their meetings with the Mustangs, the Roadrunners will both play UC Davis on Saturday. The women play at 2 p.m. on the road while the men will face the Aggies, also at 2 p.m., in the Icardo Center. Last time the men’s teams met, CSUB men got an 81-79 road win. The women lost 69-59 at home to UCD.
High School Wrestling
The 2025-26 high school wrestling season will conclude when the best boys and girls come to Bakersfield’s Dignity Health Arena to compete in the annual CIF State Boys and Girls Wrestling Championships, Feb. 26-28. It’s every wrestler’s ultimate season goal.
But right now, many wrestlers are gearing up for something that can put them on the road toward that goal.
All local schools will compete in their respective league finals this week. While a league title isn’t an automatic qualifier for CIF postseason entry, it is a moderate goal and serves as proper preparation for being in a spotlight situation.
Here are the league finals dates for all Kern County boys and girls teams and host sites.
Today: Bakersfield High hosts the South Yosemite Valley League Finals, 9 a.m.
Friday: Mira Monte High hosts South Yosemite Horizon League Finals, 10 a.m.; Wasco High hosts South Sequoia League Finals, 10 a.m.; East High hosts the South Yosemite Mountain League Finals, noon.
Saturday: Frontier High hosts the South Yosemite River League Finals, 9 a.m.
Wednesday: Desert High School hosts the High Desert League Finals, 5 p.m.
Following league finals, the next steps for CIF Central Section boys and girls wrestling teams and individuals are as follows:
Feb. 7: CIF Team Duals Championships, Morro Bay High School, 10 a.m. (boys) 11:45 a.m. (girls).
Feb. 13-14: CIF Central Section Boys/Girls Division Finals at various sites.
Boys: Division I (Feb. 14 only) at Redwood High School, Visalia, 9 a.m.; Division II at Clovis East HS, 10 a.m. both days; Division III at Fresno Edison High, 10 a.m. both days; Division IV at Reedley HS, 10 a.m. both days; Division V at Bakersfield’s Mira Monte High, 10 a.m. both days.
Girls: Division I at Bakersfield’s Golden Valley High School, 10 a.m. both days; Division II Sierra Pacific HS, Hanford, 10 a.m. both days.
Feb. 20-21: CIF Central Section Masters Tournament for boys and girls wrestlers, 9 a.m. both days, at Selland Arena, Fresno.
BC Roundup
The men’s golf team finished ninth among a 16-team field across the state with a 667 for the 36-hole, two-day, season-opening Point of Conception Invitational Tournament Sunday and Monday at La Purisima Golf Course in Lompoc. Freshman golfer and team captain Jacob Roldan (Stockdale High) led the team with a 162 two-day total. The Renegades are now off until the weekly Western State Conference Monday tournaments begin with Ventura hosting the first one on Feb. 9 … The men’s tennis team won its season-opening match, a 9-0 road victory at Clovis College. BC will host Porterville at 10 a.m. on Friday. … BC baseball remained undefeated in this first week of the season, securing an 8-6 road victory against College of the Sequoias in Visalia on Tuesday. Landon McDonald homered and doubled and drove in four runs and Santiago Blanco and Jordan Brito each had an RBI single in the top of the ninth to break a 6-all tie. Renegade reliever Kaleb Pinedo struck out two in the bottom of the ninth to get the save. BC hosts COS at 2 p.m. today and is at Modesto for a 2 p.m. game on Friday. … The BC softball team earned its first victory of the season, an 8-7 road victory over Saddleback in Mission Viejo on Tuesday. Cambria Scott doubled to center field in the top of the seventh inning, enabling Alexia Marquez to score the deciding run. Scott was thrown out at third trying to extend the play. BC scored four runs in the first inning, but Saddleback had a five-run sixth inning. BC (1-1) will now play its next three games at home. BC plays two games Friday, against Fresno City at 1 p.m. Friday, then Fullerton at 6 p.m. BC and Fullerton will also play a 1 p.m. game Saturday.
