Visiting East Union scored the game’s first 11 points Saturday before Ripon came back to take the lead a few times on the way to a 63-51 win for the Lancers in 10th Annual Hoops for the Cure girls basketball game.

“We got off to a quick start,” Lancers coach Jim Agostini said. “And we have been struggling with that. We have not had good starts. In the 19 games we have played coming into this, 14 of them were bad starts.

“And then they came back and shot the ball really well. But it was a good team effort and I liked the way our team played.”

Taylor Snaer (four steals, three rebounds, three assists) drained a pair of 3-pointers for the Lancers (16-4) in their opening running and finished with a game-high 23 points behind four 3-pointers.

With Snaer patrolling the perimeter, fellow freshman teammate Lani Tuuga owned the paint with 15 rebounds and did some perimeter work of her own, hitting a 3-pointer as part of her 14 points for a double-double along with five assists, a steal and a block. 

“When I see an open lane I just go for the basket,” Tuuga said. “I try to share the ball, but when I see a lane I just go for it.

“As for rebounding, like my coach says I grab a body, box out and when the ball comes toward you, you go toward the ball.”

Mikaylah Vaught (17 points, three 3-pointers) helped get the Indians (11-6) back into the game early in the second quarter when she hit back-to back 3-pointers in a 9-0 Ripon run with her second from behind the arc giving the Indians a 17-15 lead with 5:26 left in the first half.

Mackenzie Hutchinson (10 points) gave Ripon its last lead the third quarter at 31-29 before a 3-pointer by Snaer put East Union ahead for good at 35-32, igniting an 11-2 run by the Lancers going into the final quarter.

“I told the girls that they were going to go on their runs and we were going to have to weather the storm,” Indians coach Rick Inderbitzin said. “I didn’t expect they were going to go on an 11-0 run at the start. I thought we did a nice job of working ourselves back into it and getting the lead a couple of times.”

Ripon did this battling with standout Reina Sausedo watching from the bench. Sausedo had put up 25- and 12-point outings earlier in the week after returning from a hand injury, but Inderbitzin decided to keep her out of this non-league contest.

“We made the decision not to play Reina tonight,” Inderbitzin said. “it is important that she is healthy.

“So we just came out and played. East Union has a strong team. It’s kind of hard to match up with them, and I knew going in it was going to be difficult to match up with their size and their speed.”

Agostini realizes that Sausedo would have made an impact on the game.

“She is a difference maker,” Agostini said. “I know she wanted to play but she was thinking of her team, league play and what may be down the road for that team.”

Kiley Holland added 10 points for the Indians.

The two teams get back to league play Tuesday at 7 p.m. with Ripon hosting Riverbank and the Lancers hosting Manteca.

Junior varsity

Ripon 36, East Union 34

Kaylee Hutchison led the Indians with 16 points. Amiya Prosser paced the Lancers with 12 points.

Freshman

Ripon 42, East Union 5

The Indians led 22-0 at halftime.

Gabby Delgado led Ripon with 11 points and Joselin Figueroa chipped in six points.