RIPON — It didn’t even matter Friday night that Ripon Christian head coach Ron Vander Molen still hasn’t decided what his regular lineup will be.
With returning captain Logan Vos and sophomore standout Dan Vos running the floor, the Knights were able to erupt to a 68-42 victory over Millennium of Tracy in the first round of the Ripon Christian Boys Basketball Tournament.
“We pretty much know what those two guys are going to be on our team this year,” said Vander Molen. “Logan is our captain without question, and Dan did a really good job for us. But at this point, everything else is still up in the air.”
The Knights came out and traded buckets with Millennium in the first quarter before finally settling into an offensive groove. Dan Vos’ ball distribution and Aaron Fay’s hot hand helped give the Knights the early jump needed to kick start an offense that wouldn’t trail for the rest of the contest.
But it was the second half that really defined the Knights’ offensive progression, aided by a defensive switch that allowed Ripon Christian to feed the ball to its best players and put enough points on the board to slam the door on a Falcon comeback.
“I think that we started the second half much better offensively. We were making good passes and hitting shots when we needed to,” Vander Molen said. “We had guys like John Van Groningen step up off the bench tonight and make some clutch plays, and it’s always good when you can rely on guys to do that for your team.”
Millennium’s Richie Raya started to heat up as the game headed into the home stretch, but the Ripon Christian lead – which extended to as much as 30 points at one time – was too much for him to shrink on his own.
Logan Vos lead the Knights in scoring with 19 points and pulled in six rebounds, a pair of assists and a steal. Danny Vos contributed 10 points, four rebounds, two assists and a steal; and Van Groningen pumped in 10 points with a pair of assists and a steal also.
“Logan is undoubtedly our leader, and I think that really showed out on the floor tonight,” Vander Molen said. “You could tell early on in the second half that Dan (Vos) was looking to feed him the ball and they connected well together. I was happy to see Dan hit a couple of 3’s that really helped seal the game for us.”
The Knights take the court again today at 6:30 p.m. when they host the Colfax Falcons in the championship round.
With returning captain Logan Vos and sophomore standout Dan Vos running the floor, the Knights were able to erupt to a 68-42 victory over Millennium of Tracy in the first round of the Ripon Christian Boys Basketball Tournament.
“We pretty much know what those two guys are going to be on our team this year,” said Vander Molen. “Logan is our captain without question, and Dan did a really good job for us. But at this point, everything else is still up in the air.”
The Knights came out and traded buckets with Millennium in the first quarter before finally settling into an offensive groove. Dan Vos’ ball distribution and Aaron Fay’s hot hand helped give the Knights the early jump needed to kick start an offense that wouldn’t trail for the rest of the contest.
But it was the second half that really defined the Knights’ offensive progression, aided by a defensive switch that allowed Ripon Christian to feed the ball to its best players and put enough points on the board to slam the door on a Falcon comeback.
“I think that we started the second half much better offensively. We were making good passes and hitting shots when we needed to,” Vander Molen said. “We had guys like John Van Groningen step up off the bench tonight and make some clutch plays, and it’s always good when you can rely on guys to do that for your team.”
Millennium’s Richie Raya started to heat up as the game headed into the home stretch, but the Ripon Christian lead – which extended to as much as 30 points at one time – was too much for him to shrink on his own.
Logan Vos lead the Knights in scoring with 19 points and pulled in six rebounds, a pair of assists and a steal. Danny Vos contributed 10 points, four rebounds, two assists and a steal; and Van Groningen pumped in 10 points with a pair of assists and a steal also.
“Logan is undoubtedly our leader, and I think that really showed out on the floor tonight,” Vander Molen said. “You could tell early on in the second half that Dan (Vos) was looking to feed him the ball and they connected well together. I was happy to see Dan hit a couple of 3’s that really helped seal the game for us.”
The Knights take the court again today at 6:30 p.m. when they host the Colfax Falcons in the championship round.
