Four Manteca area teams are one win away from playing for a Sac-Joaquin Section basketball title later this week.
Tipping off semifinal action are the Sierra boys, who will clash with Center at Cosumnes River College in Sacramento. The Division-III contest tips off at 7:30 p.m.
On Wednesday, Ripon Christian’s girls and boys squads will play back-to-back (7:30/9) at Galt High in Division V. Also Wednesday, the Division-IV Indians of Ripon High will be at Tokay High in Lodi for a 9 o’clock meeting with Riverbank.
Section championship games will take place Friday and Saturday at Power Balance Pavilion. No matter what happens tonight, the season continues next week with all semifinalists qualifying for the California Interscholastic Federation’s Nor-Cal tournament.
Division III boys
Sierra (26-2), the No. 2-seeded team in Division III, is riding a 25-game winning streak but proved vulnerable in its first two playoff wins over Placer and Los Banos. Against Los Banos last Friday, the Timberwolves were on the brink of elimination before grinding out a 49-44 victory.
Getting past third-seeded Center (21-7) is no easy task for Sierra.
The Cougars of Antelope are led by 6-foot-4 guard Christopher Smith, a dynamic scorer with 3-point range and a solid all-around game. Forward Kenneth Parker averages 11.5 points, 6.6 rebounds and two blocks. The 6-5 senior is complemented by 6-4 Alfred Arrington in the frontcourt.
One of Center’s major highlights this season is beating Pioneer Valley League rival Foothill 60-57 in the title round of the Jack Scott Tournament.
Foothill, the No. 1 team in the SJS Division III bracket, avenged the defeat with double-digit wins over the Cougars in league play. Foothill squares off with No. 4 Lindhurst.
Center is making its third straight semifinal appearance after falling to Sacramento in last year’s Division III finale.
Division IV boys
Ripon (17-12) is the area’s Cinderella story but enters Wednesday’s semifinals red hot. The No. 7 Indians are winners of nine of their last 10, and one of those victories came against their next opponent.
Third-seeded Riverbank (23-3) has been one of the biggest surprises out of the southern half of the SJS this year. The Bruins, who split their Trans-Valley League series with Ripon during the regular season, are coming off an impressive 70-49 win over Sierra Delta League champion San Juan.
They are led by a trio of guards, most notably 6-1 standout sophomore Rolaun Dunham.
In the other semifinal, fellow TVL member Modesto Christian will do battle with No. 5 Calaveras.
Division V boys
Third-seeded Ripon Christian has won 16 of 17, including seven straight, but the Knights are in for their biggest challenge Wednesday in No. 2 Central Catholic (23-5) of Modesto.
The Raiders is down from the Division-IV ranks and competes in the Division-III Western Athletic Conference.
While Ripon Christian typically enjoys an advantage in size, it will be faced with a matchup problem in the form of 6-9 junior John Fenton, who averages 15.5 points, 16.3 rebounds and 3.6 blocks.
The victor plays the winner of the Capital Christian-Sacramento Waldorf contest.
Division V girls
Halie Bergman is back for No. 2 Turlock Christian (25-3).
That’s bad news for No. 3 Ripon Christian (21-4), which was torched for 37 points by the outstanding 5-10 guard in a 66-56 loss earlier this season.
Ripon Christian got its revenge in the rematch, 53-33, forcing a two-way share of the Southern League title. Bergman did not play the first half as she nursed a high ankle sprain, and she finished scoreless after entering the game midway through the third in an attempt to spark the Eagles
Bergman sat the final two regular-season games and looked sharp in her comeback in last Thursday’s 61-42 second-round blowout of Central Catholic. She amassed 28 points and 14 rebounds.
The RC-TC winner most likely takes on much-favored Brookside Christian of Stockton in the finals.
