RIPON — For the better part of the first half, the Ripon High girls basketball team was locked in a battle against visiting Escalon on Tuesday.
But just like that, the Indians got hot and then rolled to an overwhelming 76-33 Trans-Valley League victory.
"We got into a groove where everyone played well," said Ripon coach Rick Inderbitzin.
He complimented his team on being focused after the first quarter.
The Indians (3-1 TVL, 11-6) were tied 13-13 early in the second before going on a 25-7 run led by junior guard Reina Sausedo, who scored more than half of her game-high 21 points during that stretch.
She also pulled down eight rebounds and dished out five assists.
Tianna Sidikun, Mia Van Lewen, Brianca Toledo and Mikaylah Vaught also helped Ripon soar out to a 38-20 halftime advantage.
Escalon (1-3 TVL, 8-9) had no answer outside of Dulce Jimenez's outside shooting early in the second half. She drilled a pair of 3s while leading her team with eight points.
The Indians built up a 35-point cushion by then and were able to coast through the final quarter.
"We got balanced rebounding and scoring," Inderbitzin added.
Besides Reina Saucedo, Sidtikun and Mackenzie Hutchinson also scored in double figures, hitting for 10 points each.
Sidtikun and Bianca Toledo had eight and seven boards, respectively.