RIPON – The relentless press that Ripon High’s girls basketball team put on Hilmar Thursday night had dual purposes.
It allowed Ripon to jump out to an early double-digit lead and hold the Yellowjackets scoreless at the same time.
And it shook Hilmar’s confidence and forced turnovers that allowed Ripon to shoot their way to a 58-32 victory in Trans Valley League action.
“Our defense is really stepping up as we get further into the season,” Ripon head coach George Contente said. “The girls are working really hard on that, and you could see it with that press. We rotate really well, and force them to pass the ball early and create turnovers, and when you can do that you can win games.”
The Indians (6-1, 16-4) held a 12-0 lead midway through the first quarter, and held Hilmar to single digits in every quarter but one.
Not even getting into the double-bonus with almost an entire quarter left to play before the half was over was enough to call off the Indians, who swarmed to the ball and frustrated Hilmar’s handlers into making passes that the Indians could then make a play on.
With a solid defensive front and a quick offense capable of breaking through Hilmar’s (3-4, 12-7 overall) zone, Ripon took advantage of the looks they got at the basket and continued to mount their offensive assault throughout the game.
“There was a point there where got kind of stagnant and I had to call timeout for the girls to focus,” Contente said. “We had to adjust for their switch to the zone, and I think we did that well. If you want to play with zone with us, it’s pretty much pick your poison.”
The Indians ended up with 17 steals by the end of the night, and their aggressive demeanor eventually came back to work in their favor – forcing Hilmar to play just as aggressively and fouling their way into the bonus as well.
Kendra Contente led all scorers with 20 points, and also pulled in seven rebounds. Rachel Rodriguez finished the game with 12 points, while Ruth Waters scored eight in addition to her five rebounds, five assists and three steals.
Riley Harris and Ashlan Wickstrom both scored seven points for Hilmar.
Ripon will take the court Saturday against visiting rival Ripon Christian in non-league action.
It allowed Ripon to jump out to an early double-digit lead and hold the Yellowjackets scoreless at the same time.
And it shook Hilmar’s confidence and forced turnovers that allowed Ripon to shoot their way to a 58-32 victory in Trans Valley League action.
“Our defense is really stepping up as we get further into the season,” Ripon head coach George Contente said. “The girls are working really hard on that, and you could see it with that press. We rotate really well, and force them to pass the ball early and create turnovers, and when you can do that you can win games.”
The Indians (6-1, 16-4) held a 12-0 lead midway through the first quarter, and held Hilmar to single digits in every quarter but one.
Not even getting into the double-bonus with almost an entire quarter left to play before the half was over was enough to call off the Indians, who swarmed to the ball and frustrated Hilmar’s handlers into making passes that the Indians could then make a play on.
With a solid defensive front and a quick offense capable of breaking through Hilmar’s (3-4, 12-7 overall) zone, Ripon took advantage of the looks they got at the basket and continued to mount their offensive assault throughout the game.
“There was a point there where got kind of stagnant and I had to call timeout for the girls to focus,” Contente said. “We had to adjust for their switch to the zone, and I think we did that well. If you want to play with zone with us, it’s pretty much pick your poison.”
The Indians ended up with 17 steals by the end of the night, and their aggressive demeanor eventually came back to work in their favor – forcing Hilmar to play just as aggressively and fouling their way into the bonus as well.
Kendra Contente led all scorers with 20 points, and also pulled in seven rebounds. Rachel Rodriguez finished the game with 12 points, while Ruth Waters scored eight in addition to her five rebounds, five assists and three steals.
Riley Harris and Ashlan Wickstrom both scored seven points for Hilmar.
Ripon will take the court Saturday against visiting rival Ripon Christian in non-league action.
