It had been known for weeks that Ripon Christian was going to secure the outright Southern League championship without much resistance.
The Knights made it official Monday night with their 60-21 thumping of visiting Le Grand, but with so little drama to the regular season it was hard for them to get excited about it.
“Sure, it’s always nice to win one (a championship),” Ripon Christian coach Ed Mulder said. “It gets us the No. 1 seed out of our league, so that’s important.”
Ripon Christian (12-0, 19-3 overall) has had to look ahead to the Sac-Joaquin Section playoffs for motivation. Despite the wide margins of victory in SL play, Mulder has sometimes been disappointed by his players’ effort knowing what the result was going to be regardless. That was not the case Monday.
Amber Hilvers led RC’s balanced attack with 13 points, while Teagan Manus had 11 points and seven assists. Kirstin Bowman contributed 10 points, and Carly Tillema added 14 rebounds in what was yet another dominant outing for the post players.
Ripon Christian staggered Le Grand (4-7, 8-14) out the gate with a 21-7 quarter. The Bulldogs were limited to five total points over the next two periods.
“We’re improving, which is what I’ve been looking for,” Mulder said. “You just don’t notice it when you’re winning games by a lot.”
The Knights will have their senior night Thursday against Delhi. The regular-season ends at Gustine next Tuesday, Feb. 18.