By allowing ads to appear on this site, you support the local businesses who, in turn, support great journalism.
Bonus time: RCs season continues at NorCals
bsk-rc-adv-pic-1
Logan Vos had 20 points and eight rebounds in Ripon Christian’s SJS Division V finals loss at Arco Arena last Friday. Vos and the Knights return to action tonight against Liberty Christian to tip off NorCals. - photo by Bulletin file photo

AT A GLANCE

CIF REGIONALS
Tonight’s games
Division V boys
No. 11 Liberty Christian at No. 6 Ripon Christian, 7 p.m.

Division V girls
No. 11 Ripon Christian at No. 6 Head Royce, 7 p.m.
 

The Ripon Christian boys basketball team’s 68-64 overtime loss to Victory Christian in the Sac-Joaquin Section Division V finals at Arco Arena Friday didn’t prove too costly for seeding purposes in the California Interscholastic Federation State Championships.

It may have actually done the Knights a favor.

Ripon Christian’s girls team, on the other hand, didn’t draw a favorable first-round matchup after getting eliminated in the section semifinals last week.

The area’s last two squads standing will try to extend their seasons tonight in the NorCal opener. Both games start at 7 p.m.

RC’s No. 6 seeded boys play host to No. 11 Liberty Christian of Redding. Victory is seeded just one spot ahead of the Knights (22-7) and will take on No. 12 Head-Royce.

Head-Royce is ranked 10th in the state among Division-V schools and sits 10 spots ahead of Victory according to Maxpreps.com. Ripon Christian is 27th, and Liberty 67th.

Liberty (21-8) struggled with Hamilton’s superior height in a 58-39 loss in the Northern Section finals, and that’s an advantage RC hopes to parlay into victory tonight.

Six-foot-8 Tyler Goslinga (20.2 ppg, 11 rpg) will likely garner most of the Patriots’ defensive attention, but 6-4 forward Logan Vos (13.9 ppg, 6.1 rpg) and 6-2 guards Daniel Van de Pol (11.2 ppg) and Steve Vander Molen (8 ppg) have capitalized on that game plan all postseason.

By contrast, Liberty relies on balanced scoring from its guard-heavy lineup led by 6-foot freshman Otar Pkhakadze.

Guards Aaron Lowe, Adrian Warren, Cameron Cargile and Rhette Roberts are other big contributors, but they each stand 6-1 or shorter.

The Patriots do have size with 6-8 Will Duffy and 6-3 sophomore guard Ethan Templeton.

The No. 11 Lady Knights (12-15) had a week to prepare for the No. 6 Jayhawks of Head-Royce (27-5), which hosts the first-round showdown in Oakland.

 Head-Royce nearly ended powerhouse Branson’s string of five-straight North Coast Section championships Saturday but were narrowly beaten 39-38. Head-Royce was the state’s seventh-ranked Division V team by calhisports.com going into that game.

Senior Hillary Streeter leads Head-Royce and had 17 points, seven rebounds and three blocks in the NCS title game.

Kelsey Tillema averages 13.5 points and 10.5 rebounds for RC.