RIPON — East Union High had one streak ended, but the one that matters is still alive.
With top scorer Ashley Rose on a recruiting trip, the Lancers had to grind out a 44-37 non-league victory over friendly rival Ripon Friday.
East Union, now 7-0, tore apart its previous six opponents, beating each by at least 18 points.
Head coach Jim Agostini, who is close friends with Ripon coach George Contente, figured that his team’s string of double-digit victories would end Friday.
“We needed that,” Agostini said. “Was it our best performance? Probably not, but that’s OK. We need to be battle tested.”
It was nip and tuck for 3 1/2 quarters until East Union sophomore guard Lexy Posz hit key shots to give her team some breathing room.
Posz keyed a 6-0 run starting with two free throws that gave EU a 38-34 lead with 2:44 left. A minute later, Cal Baptist-bound guard Rachel McDaniel drove into the paint and dished it to Posz for a long-range perimeter shot.
Posz later found Shalane Jackson for a fastbreak layup to make it 42-34 with 1:14 remaining for the game’s largest lead.
“I knew (Posz) has been hitting her shots, so I’d cut through the lane and look for her because I knew she’d make it,” said McDaniel, who led the Lancers with 12 points, seven rebounds, seven assists and three blocks.
Posz scored eight of her 11 in the fourth quarter, also finishing with five boards and three steals. Jackson turned in 12 points, 12 rebounds and two blocks.
“It’s an adjustment (not having Rose) because she’s a big scorer for us, and she’s really key for us defensively,” McDaniel said. “We all just had to step up tonight and a lot of players did that. We had a well-rounded performance.”
Ripon (4-5) was also down a starter with senior wing Skye Dominguez, the Indians’ most athletic player, sidelined with an ankle injury.
Ripon didn’t have a single-digit scorer and was paced by Adrianna Maberry’s eight points. Sophomore post Rachel Rodriguez added seven points, 11 rebounds and five steals.
Despite the loss, Contente is seeing great improvement from his young team that went 8-18 last year.
“We just have to make those next steps,” he said. “We’re taking them we just haven’t put our foot down yet, but it’s coming. (East Union) is undefeated and beating everybody by 20, so we did well.”
Kayla Evans contributed 11 points, five assists and four steals. Raeline Witt pulled down 12 rebounds.
With top scorer Ashley Rose on a recruiting trip, the Lancers had to grind out a 44-37 non-league victory over friendly rival Ripon Friday.
East Union, now 7-0, tore apart its previous six opponents, beating each by at least 18 points.
Head coach Jim Agostini, who is close friends with Ripon coach George Contente, figured that his team’s string of double-digit victories would end Friday.
“We needed that,” Agostini said. “Was it our best performance? Probably not, but that’s OK. We need to be battle tested.”
It was nip and tuck for 3 1/2 quarters until East Union sophomore guard Lexy Posz hit key shots to give her team some breathing room.
Posz keyed a 6-0 run starting with two free throws that gave EU a 38-34 lead with 2:44 left. A minute later, Cal Baptist-bound guard Rachel McDaniel drove into the paint and dished it to Posz for a long-range perimeter shot.
Posz later found Shalane Jackson for a fastbreak layup to make it 42-34 with 1:14 remaining for the game’s largest lead.
“I knew (Posz) has been hitting her shots, so I’d cut through the lane and look for her because I knew she’d make it,” said McDaniel, who led the Lancers with 12 points, seven rebounds, seven assists and three blocks.
Posz scored eight of her 11 in the fourth quarter, also finishing with five boards and three steals. Jackson turned in 12 points, 12 rebounds and two blocks.
“It’s an adjustment (not having Rose) because she’s a big scorer for us, and she’s really key for us defensively,” McDaniel said. “We all just had to step up tonight and a lot of players did that. We had a well-rounded performance.”
Ripon (4-5) was also down a starter with senior wing Skye Dominguez, the Indians’ most athletic player, sidelined with an ankle injury.
Ripon didn’t have a single-digit scorer and was paced by Adrianna Maberry’s eight points. Sophomore post Rachel Rodriguez added seven points, 11 rebounds and five steals.
Despite the loss, Contente is seeing great improvement from his young team that went 8-18 last year.
“We just have to make those next steps,” he said. “We’re taking them we just haven’t put our foot down yet, but it’s coming. (East Union) is undefeated and beating everybody by 20, so we did well.”
Ripon Christian 57, Big Valley Christian 16
In Ripon, junior center Kelsey Tillema had 24 points to go with 10 rebounds to lead the Knights (4-2). Kayla Evans contributed 11 points, five assists and four steals. Raeline Witt pulled down 12 rebounds.
