Sutter senior forward Naseem Bhatti (23) shoots a three pointer in the Huskies’ 57-51 loss to Colfax on Wednesday, January 17.

SUTTER, CA (MPG) - The Sutter Union boys basketball team lost a Pioneer Valley League game to the Colfax Falcons 57-51 that slipped away on Wednesday, January 17.

The loss against Colfax was the third league loss for Sutter and it makes the remaining second half of the PVL crucial if they want to return to the CIF Sac-Joaquin Section playoffs for the second consecutive season.

Sutter senior forward Jagger Beck (14) puts up a layup in the Huskies’ 57-51 defeat to Colfax on Wednesday, January 17.

The Huskies started the game with a hot shooting start as they opened the game up with a 14-2 lead in the first few opening minutes of the game as they hit four three-point shots.

The Falcons eventually cut the Sutter lead down as they were down 19-11 at the end of the first.

In the second quarter, it was Colfax’s turn to make a few shots and dwindle the Huskies lead as they got back in the game after a few shots made.

Sutter freshman forward Izzy Bhatti drives to the basket in the Huskies’ 57-51 loss on Wednesday, January 17, to Colfax.

Both teams finished the quarter out strong, but Sutter was able to pull away towards the end of the first half and push their lead to 35-25.

In the second half, the momentum shifted as the Falcons forced a lot of second half turnovers in the early going against the Huskies.

Colfax took the lead a little more than half way through the third quarter and made it difficult for Sutter to get back before the third quarter ended in a tie at 43.

Sutter senior guard Jordan Lee (2) puts the ball up in the Huskies’ 57-51 defeat to Colfax on Wednesday, January 17.

The Falcons were able to quickly build an eight-point lead with three-and-a-half minutes left in the game. Huskies senior guard Naseem Bhatti was able to make it a one possession game with a little over a minute left in the game, but Colfax was able to run out the clock and made their free throws to eventually seal the victory.

The significance of Sutter having three league losses had them tied with Bear River and Marysville for the third and final automatic playoff bid that the PVL gets for the postseason, according to the CIF Sac-Joaquin Section website, as they all entered the second half of league play this week.

Marysville and the Huskies squared off on Wednesday, and if Sutter were to win, they would have the season sweep over Marysville. The head-to-head sweep would give them a nod over Marysville if the two finished tied at the end of the season in league play.

Huskies Head Coach Nabeel Bhatti expressed to the Dispatch prior to league play that it was going to be a dog fight in the PVL, and it surely hasn’t disappointed anyone thus far.

Sutter senior guard Jordan Lee (2) shoots a three-pointer in the Huskies 57-51 loss to Colfax on Wednesday, January 17. 

As of Sunday, January 21, there were five teams within two games of one another fighting for three playoff spots. The CIF SJS website also stated that a team could get into the playoffs if they were outside of the automatic berths; if they were ranked in the top 15 of the division rankings by MaxPreps, they would be given an at-large bid.

Sutter was ranked 13th in the MaxPreps Division IV rankings in the rankings as of January 21.