RIPON — The first four minutes were far from perfect for Ripon Christian, but things got straightened out in a hurry. The Knights jumped all over the visiting Hughson Huskies with a first half run and never let up in a 55-18 blowout Tuesday.
Ripon Christian (3-1) staggered out to a 4-3 lead at the 4:17 mark of the first quarter, before going on a 16-1 run for a 20-4 lead. Ripon Christian held Hughson to just two baskets in the second period, cruising to a 36-11 halftime lead on the way to its third victory of the season.
“It was just a matter of us letting things happen,” Ripon Christian head coach Ron Vander Molen said of his team’s slow start. “We just had to let things work out. We missed a few layups early, but this team has kind of done that a lot.
“I thought we did a great job passing the ball, we just have to work on finishing.”
Ripon Christian sophomore Dan Vos did the majority of the distribution, slicing through the Hughson defense at break-neck speed, only to get in the lane and calmly find perimeter shooters looking at open targets. Vos gave the Huskies backcourt fits throughout the first half, and controlled Ripon Christian’s tempo after building a 20-point halftime lead.
“We just want to pressure the basketball and try and create turnovers,” Vos said. “Coaches were telling me to deny the ball and not let them get the ball back, so we just put our mind to accomplishing that.
“When we get the ball, I just want to penetrate and get the open looks for my guys.”
His older brother and senior leader for the Knights Logan Vos, was the primary, beneficiary of the younger Vos’ assertiveness, turning in a game-high 12 points in just under three quarters of play.
“Last year we had a lot of games where we would be two entirely different teams in each half,” Logan said. “So this year, one of the main focuses has been coming out strong in both halves. It was good for us to have one of these games, because we need for everyone to be able to be solid for both halves.
“Because we are going to be playing a lot deeper than we did last year.”
The Knights got solid productivity from all over the court, getting eight points from Aaron Fay, seven from Brady Rhoda and six from junior Josh Van Gronigen. Tim Ignacio was extremely effective when giving Dan Vos a breather, continuing Vos’ formula for success with aggressive ball penetration from the point guard spot.
Ripon Christian held Hughson to three baskets the entire second half, surrendering one 3-pointer and a pair of layups over the final 16 minutes. Even when the Knights went to the bench to substitute players in the action, the team’s defensive intensity never waned in the slightest.
“I spent the majority of the time at halftime telling them that we did not want to play even with them over the final two quarters,” Vander Molen said. “When we came into the huddle, I said lets set a goal to keep them under 25 points for the game, and they said 20.
“It was nice that they were able to accomplish that.”
The Knights will look for their fourth consecutive victory when they open up the Galt Tournament with a first-round game against Capital Christian Thursday.
The Indians made the short trip to Modesto and had little trouble putting away their first opponent, walking into halftime with a 35-13 lead. Ripon (1-0) dominated Big Valley Christian in every facet, holding the team to just two field goals the entire first half.
“This was a good first game for us,” Ripon head coach Rod Wright said. “We obviously have a lot of things to work on, but we came out strong in the beginning and really did a good job.”
Junior Jake McCreath led the charge with 16 points and 12 rebounds, while sophomore Cole Herren chipped in seven.
Ripon will begin play in the Granada Tournament Thursday when it takes on the tournament hosts at 8 p.m.
Ripon Christian (3-1) staggered out to a 4-3 lead at the 4:17 mark of the first quarter, before going on a 16-1 run for a 20-4 lead. Ripon Christian held Hughson to just two baskets in the second period, cruising to a 36-11 halftime lead on the way to its third victory of the season.
“It was just a matter of us letting things happen,” Ripon Christian head coach Ron Vander Molen said of his team’s slow start. “We just had to let things work out. We missed a few layups early, but this team has kind of done that a lot.
“I thought we did a great job passing the ball, we just have to work on finishing.”
Ripon Christian sophomore Dan Vos did the majority of the distribution, slicing through the Hughson defense at break-neck speed, only to get in the lane and calmly find perimeter shooters looking at open targets. Vos gave the Huskies backcourt fits throughout the first half, and controlled Ripon Christian’s tempo after building a 20-point halftime lead.
“We just want to pressure the basketball and try and create turnovers,” Vos said. “Coaches were telling me to deny the ball and not let them get the ball back, so we just put our mind to accomplishing that.
“When we get the ball, I just want to penetrate and get the open looks for my guys.”
His older brother and senior leader for the Knights Logan Vos, was the primary, beneficiary of the younger Vos’ assertiveness, turning in a game-high 12 points in just under three quarters of play.
“Last year we had a lot of games where we would be two entirely different teams in each half,” Logan said. “So this year, one of the main focuses has been coming out strong in both halves. It was good for us to have one of these games, because we need for everyone to be able to be solid for both halves.
“Because we are going to be playing a lot deeper than we did last year.”
The Knights got solid productivity from all over the court, getting eight points from Aaron Fay, seven from Brady Rhoda and six from junior Josh Van Gronigen. Tim Ignacio was extremely effective when giving Dan Vos a breather, continuing Vos’ formula for success with aggressive ball penetration from the point guard spot.
Ripon Christian held Hughson to three baskets the entire second half, surrendering one 3-pointer and a pair of layups over the final 16 minutes. Even when the Knights went to the bench to substitute players in the action, the team’s defensive intensity never waned in the slightest.
“I spent the majority of the time at halftime telling them that we did not want to play even with them over the final two quarters,” Vander Molen said. “When we came into the huddle, I said lets set a goal to keep them under 25 points for the game, and they said 20.
“It was nice that they were able to accomplish that.”
The Knights will look for their fourth consecutive victory when they open up the Galt Tournament with a first-round game against Capital Christian Thursday.
Ripon 45, Big Valley Christian 27
The Indians got their season off to a solid start, holding Big Valley Christian to a single first quarter point on their way to a 45-27 win in the season opener.The Indians made the short trip to Modesto and had little trouble putting away their first opponent, walking into halftime with a 35-13 lead. Ripon (1-0) dominated Big Valley Christian in every facet, holding the team to just two field goals the entire first half.
“This was a good first game for us,” Ripon head coach Rod Wright said. “We obviously have a lot of things to work on, but we came out strong in the beginning and really did a good job.”
Junior Jake McCreath led the charge with 16 points and 12 rebounds, while sophomore Cole Herren chipped in seven.
Ripon will begin play in the Granada Tournament Thursday when it takes on the tournament hosts at 8 p.m.
