Ripon Christian coach Connor Kennedy had no reason to be frustrated with his team after a 36-33 Trans Valley League loss to visiting Orestimba on Tuesday.
The Knights (4-7, 9-14 overall) played well enough defensively, took care of the ball and executed their offense against a feisty Orestimba team that has embraced the role of spoiler in the final weeks of the regular season. They created a lot of the shots they wanted, from inside and out, but did not get the kind bounces off the home rims.
“Definitely a tough loss for the team,” Kennedy said. “Tough loss for our seniors on senior night. Our girls gave it everything they had. We move the ball well, share the ball well and got good looks, but sometimes the shots just don’t drop. We believe in every single one of our players to hit shots.”
Rhian Heuvel kept Ripon Christian within reach in the fourth quarter when she hit a key 3-pointer and made five of six free throws. She finished with 14 points and four assists.
The Knights, however, never led, and any time they had a chance to jump ahead, Orestimba (4-7, 9-18) had a response and got it from different players.
Midway through the final period, Ripon Christian had possession while trailing by one, 27-26, when Orestimba’s Natalie Corella (nine points, six rebounds) came up with a steal in the paint. Moments later, she knocked down a 3 from the right wing to give the Warriors some breathing room.
It was Corella who earlier netted the first points of the game, as both teams struggled to get untracked at the outset. She hit two free throws with 4:22 left in the opening quarter.
Ashlynn Bell also came up with some clutch buckets for Orestimba, ending with 14 points and 12 rebounds. Sophomore Salece Machado (seven rebounds) did not score all game until the last 36 seconds when she made 4-of-4 free throws to keep the Knights at bay.
“Every time we made a little run, they had an answer,” Kennedy said. “Credit to them; they hit some big free throws down the stretch. Orestimba’s a good team, good program led by a good coach. Give them credit; it was a hard-fought game.”
The Warriors are no strangers to hard-fought games, though they’ve typically been on the other side of them. In fact, five of their league losses have been decided by five or less points.
“Last week, against Hilmar, we missed 13 free throws and should have won that game — we lost by four,” Orestimba coach Dwain Bell said, referencing last Thursday’s 41-36 loss at Hilmar.
“It says that they’re resilient. They’ve never quit, and they could have quit a long time ago. I mean, when you lose 12 games by four points, it’s hard to keep the girls motivated when it keeps happening. They want to win, and now they want to be spoilers. They want to knock off everybody that’s trying to make the playoffs.”
Annika Jung was key off the bench for Ripon Christian, contributing 11 points and seven rebounds. Haley Kootstra anchored the defense with five blocks.
The Knights cap regular-season play Thursday at second-place Sonora. They’re likely already in the postseason as at-large qualifiers but were hoping to win out this week to improve their position in the Division V bracket.
“We came in to this week as the ninth seed in Division V (according to MaxPreps computer rankings), and our goal was to get up to 7 or 8 and get a home game,” Kennedy said. “I just told the girls in the locker room we still have a chance to end the season with an exclamation point. We’ll come back, continue to get better and hopefully make a little run in the playoffs.”
