Struggling with her shot for much of the night, Ripon Christian’s lone senior looked to get teammates involved down the stretch Thursday in a Trans-Valley League finale against visiting Ripon.
Maddie Yonker found center Reagan Van der Hoek for two crucial buckets in the fourth quarter that helped the Knights keep their rival at bay in a 40-32 win that should help their position for the postseason.
Yonker, honored before the game for Senior Night, led Ripon Christian (6-6 TVL, 14-11 overall) with 13 points, 14 rebounds, four assists, two steals and two blocks. Van der Hoek netted 12 points and 12 rebounds. Kara Kessler chipped in seven points.
“Maddie does so much for us,” RC coach Mike Vander Molen said. “For us to win and for her to do some other things to help us win besides hitting a bunch of 3-pointers says a lot about our team. Different girls made big shots and plays, and I’m really proud of our defense.”
The Knights started three of the four quarters on scoring droughts, as Ripon (2-10, 8-18) stalled their attack by switching up defenses. They outscored the Indians 14-5 in the third quarter for a 32-25 lead but once again struggled to get untracked to begin the fourth.
Leila Sanchez hit a 3-pointer to close Ripon in. Ripon Christian ended the dry spell with 4:55 left when Yonker spotted Van der Hoek under the basket for a layup in an early-offense opportunity.
The two later linked up for a three-point play that pushed RC ahead 37-30 with 2:39 left. Recognizing that Ripon was in a man-to-man defense, Yonker called for a screen from the junior center on the right wing. Van der Hoek rolled to the basket and received the bounce pass from Yonker before converting the and-1 layup.
Yonker also played a key role in Kessler’s fastbreak bucket that sealed the win in the final minute, setting an off-ball screen on an inbounds pass from Cailyn Mouw.
“My favorite stat is assists. I like to make plays for my teammates,” Yonker said. “(Van der Hoek) is always someone I can rely on. We’re constantly in practice doing stuff like that. I always joke with her that I’m going to throw her an alley-oop so she can dunk. When she comes and screens for me, I know that if I don’t have something for myself that I’ll have her on the back side to finish for our team.”
Ripon also had its rough patches offensively, relying on the long ball to stay in the game. The Indians made eight 3-pointers in all but only attempted two free throws, missing both. Kailee Inderbitzin (seven rebounds), Vanessah Ponce and Sanchez all finished with six points, knocking down two 3s apiece. Freshman Kaylee Lehmkuhl added five points and five assists.
The Indians took their largest lead at 20-13 late in the first half after Inderbitzin buried back-to-back 3s and Ava Hernandez banked in another.
“We did hit some shots, we just turned the ball over too many times,” Ripon coach Rick Inderbitzin said. “It’s been like that all year. We gotta grow. We’re still young.”
Ripon Christian was able to overcome its offensive woes with offensive rebounding. The Knights dominated the glass 39-28, getting 20 of those boards on offense.
“We struggled at the very beginning of the game, but I was really proud of how the girls showed a lot of toughness,” Vander Molen said. “The juniors have been playing varsity since their freshman year and they’ve been getting beat on and beat on, and this year they’ve really turned the corner. They’ve really grown and won some tough games.”
Ripon Christian has at least one more game this season. The playoffs start next week, and the Knights will find out their postseason fate this Saturday during the Sac-Joaquin Section’s annual selection show on NFHS Network.
Although they did not finish in the top three of the TVL for an automatic berth, they’re likely in as an at-large qualifier. Needing a top-10 ranking to qualify, Ripon Christian went into its regular-season finale at No. 4 in the MaxPreps SJS Division V computer ratings.
“They shot the ball well in that first half, and I felt fortunate that it was as close as it was because we struggled to score in that first half,” Vander Molen said. “Rick kept changing defenses on me. He always challenges me, and it’s always a tough match-up. You add the whole rivalry on top of it, and it was exciting. This was a really important win going into playoffs. Hopefully we get into the top four.”
