RIPON — Ripon High girls basketball coach George Contente warned his players to not take Riverbank lightly on Thursday.
It turned out he didn’t have to.
His seniors were especially motivated to take on the reigning champion Bruins, who were winless in the Trans-Valley League coming in and remain so after fleeing the North Gym smarting from a 53-28 defeat. Riverbank’s record (0-5 TVL, 3-15 overall) doesn’t show how competitive it has been in league, as three of its previous four losses were by margins of five or less. The latest setback was by far the worst.
“We knew they were the defending champs and we lost to them in overtime twice (last year), so we kind of had a little revenge (as motivation) to beat them this time,” Ripon’s Haylee Monroe said.
Now, it is Ripon (5-0, 12-7) that tops the standings as it nears the midway point of the league schedule. After Saturday’s annual Hoops for the Cure Classic with East Union, a first-place team in the Valley Oak League, the Indians square off with neighboring foe Ripon Christian next Tuesday.
It took a few minutes for them to get rolling Thursday, but once the Indians did there was little hope for Riverbank to catch them. Bruins standout Sierra Nabors, who finished with 14 points and eight rebounds, gave the visitors their only lead with a layup 54 seconds into the game.
Monroe’s 3-pointer from the corner broke the ice for Ripon with 5:51 left in the first, and the rout was on. The Indians forced 11 turnovers in the opening period (28 overall) and led 18-2 after Karla Calderon scored the first points of the second quarter. Riverbank answered with a 9-0 run powered by a seven-point burst from Nabors.
Ripon was able to get back on track and sat on a comfortable 30-16 halftime lead before outscoring the Bruins 19-5 in the third.
“We wanted to make sure to come out with fire right off the bat,” Contente said. “Give them credit, they hit some shots, but we had that lull. We’ve been talking about getting away from those lulls.”
Ripon was buoyed by its scrappy senior guards. Calderon led the Indians with 10 points, five rebounds and seven steals. Jill Jamero and Monroe (seven steals) fired eight points apiece, and reserve Sarah DeFreitas scored all six of her points in the first half and dished out four assists. Ripon totaled 18 assists and 19 steals.
“We work on defense every day,” Monroe said. “We’re fast, we’re quick with our hands and we get a lot of steals.”
Post players Kaylyn Evans (seven points, six rebounds), sophomore Savannah Clark (four points, eight rebounds) and freshman reserve Mia Van Lewen (six points, six rebounds) were also heavily involved, as eight different Ripon players contributed at least four points.
“That’s a big plus for us,” Contente said. “They’re young but they’re getting more confidence. We have some tough games coming up, so we’ll be ready.”
Sophomore boys
Central Catholic 67,
Manteca 61
A 21-5 second-quarter advantage for Central Catholic proved to be the difference, as Manteca slid to 5-2 in the Valley Oak League and 11-7 overall.
The Buffaloes threatened to steal the win with their 24-point outburst in the fourth but was unable to jump ahead when they were down one with about a minute to go.
Jorge Cedano Jr. spearheaded Manteca with 23 points, Gino Campiotti pumped in 14 and Zach Chamberlain added eight.
East Union 61, Oakdale 37
The Lancers (4-2) blew open an 18-8 first-quarter lead and continued to widen the gap from there.
JoJo Espinoza poured in a game-high 16 points, while Blake Greenlee and Drew Sena contributed 13 apiece.
Sophomore girls
Manteca 55, Oakdale 42
On Wednesday, Frankie Selena compiled 18 points, while Julianne Eavenson dominated in the key with 16 points and 11 rebounds for the Buffaloes. Simran Kaur contributed with seven assists.
Manteca 58,
Central Catholic 33
Julianne Eavenson posted her second double-double in as many nights, turning in 12 points and 11 boards Thursday at Central Catholic.
Sarah Inderbitzin led scoring with 13 points, all coming in the second half. Jasmin English added 11 points, and reserve Alex Beltran pitched in with seven rebounds.
Freshman boys
East Union 56, Oakdale 21
Daniel Ruiz tallied 18 points, and Pasqual Vasquez had 13 as East Union flattened the Mustangs.
Lathrop 53, Sierra 47
The Spartans (4-2, 10-5) gained separation early with an 18-8 spurt and sealed the win by sinking seven of 10 free throws in the fourth quarter.
Isaiah Victor anchored Lathrop with 15 points, while Paul Kiggins contributed 11.
Manteca 47,
Central Catholic 31
Manteca (3-3, 8-10) was ahead 22-15 at halftime but held the Raiders scoreless in the third quarter to race away victorious.
Kyle Lynch led the charge with 21 points, and Tarnjot Singh scored 13.
Freshman girls
East Union 25, Oakdale 17
Stephanie Mata scored eight points in East Union’s low-scoring win.
