RIPON – Ripon Christian’s varsity girls basketball team fought off every blowout attempt that visiting rival Ripon threw its way, yet the Knights could not fight off their second Trans Valley League loss to the Indians in a 60-46 defeat Tuesday.
Ripon (7-2 TVL, 15-10 overall) received the majority of its offensive output from senior Lauren Feddersen and junior Kendra Contente. Feddersen led all scorers with 25 points, while Contente poured in 15. Fifteen of Feddersen’s points came in the first half.
Both players scored early and often as well as from outside and inside. A pressure-minded Ripon Christian defense gave both Feddersen and Contente several open looks that the pair consistently cashed in on.
“It wasn’t like the girls were taking forced shots, they were getting good looks,” Ripon head coach George Contente said. “We have changed a couple of things on offense and it has created some wide-open looks.
“It was good to see our work come into fruition.”
The Knights (4-5, 10-13) closed out the first half trailing 26-16 but could only put in a single basket through the first four minutes of the third quarter. Ripon also open the second half stagnant, but Feddersen heated up in a hurry with three consecutive buckets to get the Indians back to a comfortable double-digit lead.
Feddersen scored in spurts, driving to the basket, knocking down open perimeter looks and keeping Ripon in control of the contest for the majority of the action.
“Certainly when we talked about matchups we knew that she was one that we would have to keep off of the boards,” Ripon Christian head coach Kirk Tillema said of Feddersen. “I think tonight she was a worker. Lauren worked hard, she was not only on inside, but she made some outside shots too.
“That was a new dimension of her game that I hadn’t seen in the past.”
Kelsey Tillema did her best to keep Ripon Christian’s hopes alive, leading the Knights in scoring in both halves. The senior playmaker closed the contest with a team-high 14 points and teammate Mikaela Alger contributed 12. Amanda Boersma finished with eight.
Both teams are looking forward to continuing their seasons into the Sac-Joaquin Section postseason, with Ripon’s berth virtually secure entering the game as the No. 10 seed in the Division IV power ratings, while Ripon Christian came in as the No. 11 seed in Division V. The Knights will face an uphill battle with a TVL closing trip to Salida to take on the Modesto Christian Crusaders, while Ripon will try and close out league play with a win over Escalon High.
“We’re in the playoffs as of right now,” Contente said. “We just have to keep winning and try and take some momentum into the playoffs.
“That’s what we’ve talked about in our goals; taking the momentum from these games and carrying it into the playoffs.”
Ripon (7-2 TVL, 15-10 overall) received the majority of its offensive output from senior Lauren Feddersen and junior Kendra Contente. Feddersen led all scorers with 25 points, while Contente poured in 15. Fifteen of Feddersen’s points came in the first half.
Both players scored early and often as well as from outside and inside. A pressure-minded Ripon Christian defense gave both Feddersen and Contente several open looks that the pair consistently cashed in on.
“It wasn’t like the girls were taking forced shots, they were getting good looks,” Ripon head coach George Contente said. “We have changed a couple of things on offense and it has created some wide-open looks.
“It was good to see our work come into fruition.”
The Knights (4-5, 10-13) closed out the first half trailing 26-16 but could only put in a single basket through the first four minutes of the third quarter. Ripon also open the second half stagnant, but Feddersen heated up in a hurry with three consecutive buckets to get the Indians back to a comfortable double-digit lead.
Feddersen scored in spurts, driving to the basket, knocking down open perimeter looks and keeping Ripon in control of the contest for the majority of the action.
“Certainly when we talked about matchups we knew that she was one that we would have to keep off of the boards,” Ripon Christian head coach Kirk Tillema said of Feddersen. “I think tonight she was a worker. Lauren worked hard, she was not only on inside, but she made some outside shots too.
“That was a new dimension of her game that I hadn’t seen in the past.”
Kelsey Tillema did her best to keep Ripon Christian’s hopes alive, leading the Knights in scoring in both halves. The senior playmaker closed the contest with a team-high 14 points and teammate Mikaela Alger contributed 12. Amanda Boersma finished with eight.
Both teams are looking forward to continuing their seasons into the Sac-Joaquin Section postseason, with Ripon’s berth virtually secure entering the game as the No. 10 seed in the Division IV power ratings, while Ripon Christian came in as the No. 11 seed in Division V. The Knights will face an uphill battle with a TVL closing trip to Salida to take on the Modesto Christian Crusaders, while Ripon will try and close out league play with a win over Escalon High.
“We’re in the playoffs as of right now,” Contente said. “We just have to keep winning and try and take some momentum into the playoffs.
“That’s what we’ve talked about in our goals; taking the momentum from these games and carrying it into the playoffs.”
