RIPON — Will Gilbert was mired in a shooting slump going into Ripon Christian’s rivalry tilt at Ripon on Friday.
The woes continued in the first quarter of the Trans-Valley League first-place encounter. Gilbert didn’t score a single point in the opening eight minutes, while the more efficient and energetic Indians raced out to a 15-point lead.
He followed the advice of a football coach to snap out of it.
“I haven’t been shooting great, but my football coach who used to actually play here said the only way to get out of a slump is to shoot out of it,” Gilbert said, referring to junior varsity offensive coordinator Steve Clark.
And shoot he did.
Gilbert rediscovered his stroke and lifted Ripon Christian to a 54-48 triumph with a 24-point outburst. He canned two clutch 3-pointers on back-to-back possessions late in the fourth period as the Knights charged to a 51-46 lead.
Gilbert’s big night ended fittingly at the free-throw line where he got warmed up earlier in the contest. He didn’t score until hitting two technical free throws with 3:25 remaining in the second quarter, as Ripon Christian closed in 22-18 after trailing 20-5 at one point.
Later, the Knights (6-0, 14-6 overall) had chances to seal the victory over the two-time defending TVL champion Indians (4-1, 9-11) — who had a 16-game league winning streak snapped — but missed four straight free throws, including three consecutive one-and-ones. With 3.1 seconds left, RC coach Mark Hofman called a timeout and drew up an inbounds play to get the ball into the hottest hands on the court. Gilbert was fouled as he corralled the inbounds pass and closed it out with two free throws.
The 6-foot-4 guard finished 8 of 9 from the charity stripe, made four 3-pointers and accounted for 19 of his team’s 26 points in the second half.
“He missed some early and some shooters get shy,” Hofman said. “He’s not shy.”
Hofman and Gilbert said their team’s fitness prevailed against the deeper Indians, who were anchored by 6-8 center Vincent Olmo’s near triple-double of 14 points, 14 rebounds and nine blocks. Olmo blocked shots on four straight Ripon Christian possessions during one stretch in the third quarter.
Jacob Van Groningen contributed 14 points, 11 rebounds, three assists and four steals for the Knights, while Cade Alger had nine points, 15 rebounds, three assists and three steals.
“We knew we were going to be a little short this year, not in talent but in manpower,” Gilbert said. “We knew we all had to get in shape. … They came out banging us around and we didn’t expect to get punched in the mouth like that, but we’re built to run the court. I love playing with this group of guys. They’re fast and they’re relentless.”
They’re also alone in first place after withstanding Ripon’s early flurry. Troy Brogan asserted himself and scored 11 points in the first quarter and ended up with 19 along with seven rebounds. The Indians led 22-10 after the first period and went ice cold as Ripon Christian tightened up defensively while getting a better handle of Ripon’s trapping defense.
After making three 3s in the first quarter, Ripon began misfiring from long range and could not convert on layups and put-backs. The Indians also struggled from the foul line throughout, making just five of 16 attempts while Ripon Christian shot 14-for-20.
“That’s not good enough,” Ripon coach Justin Graham said. “Too win these types of games you have to do all the little things. We definitely have a lot of room to improve.”
Gilbert tied it at 23-23 with a 3-point conversion, and Ripon Christian took its first lead on its next possession with a put-back layup from Alger. Ripon, meanwhile, made just 1-of-7 free throws in the period and did not hit a field goal until Brogan’s 3 from the top of the arc with 1:18 left in the half.
The score was deadlocked at 28-all at halftime, and it was back-and-forth from there until Gilbert’s successive 3s put Ripon Christian up for good in the fourth.
“That was just two cross-town rivals going at it, man,” Hofman said. “That was a street fight.”

Junior varsity
Ripon Christian 61, Ripon 55
The Knights overcame a double-digit deficit in the fourth quarter and jumped ahead 56-55 on Jaden Booth’s fall-away jumper from the elbow with 1:30 to go.
Lukas Van Groningen paced Ripon Christian with 22 points, while Joseph DeBruyn and Reid Vander Hoek pitched in 13 apiece. Brayden Haines scored 17 to lead Ripon, and Austin Bonilla contributed 14.