RIPON — Ripon Christian had its inside-out attack firing on all cylinders Friday, as it celebrated winter homecoming with a 65-48 drubbing of Trans-Valley League newcomer Mountain House.
Andrew Vander Weide, a 6-foot-5 forward, led the Knights (2-0 TVL, 9-5 overall) with 15 points, and 6-4 guard Daniel Hannink made four 3-pointers for the bulk of his 14 points. Ripon Christian totaled eight 3-pointers, while 6-6, 200-pound Ty Beidleman (10 points) and Zach Cortright (seven) also made their presence felt in the paint.
Ripon Christian shot out to a 23-16 lead in the first quarter before grinding it out the rest of the way. The Knights outscored Mountain House (0-2, 5-12) 29-19 in the middle periods to widen the lead.
“Our size eventually wore them out,” Ripon Christian coach Mark Hofman said. “We had a nice homecoming crowd, too, so we played with a lot of energy.”
The Mustangs were led by 6-4 junior Cameron Palmer’s 16 points. Brett Thompson, one of three starting freshmen, contributed 11. Mountain House is a second-year school without a senior class and is in its first with varsity teams.
“They’re a new school so they’re very young,” Hofman said, “but they played great for having all those young guys. For us, we just have to keep getting better.”
It expects to get tougher for Ripon Christian, which faces Riverbank and Escalon both on the road next week.
VOL boys
Central Catholic 83,
Lathrop 54
LATHROP — The visiting Raiders (1-1 Valley Oak League, 12-2 overall) had their way with outmatched Lathrop (0-2, 7-8), especially in the second half when they drained 10 of their 12 3-point shots.
Lathrop trailed 21-11 after the first quarter but was able to close the gap by halftime to 32-29. That was before Central Catholic exploded for 25 and 26 points in each of the final two periods.
“We started off bad and it was only a three-point game at half,” Lathrop coach Nate McGrath said. “Then the wheels fell off. We flat out stopped playing defense in the second half.”
Lathrop’s Junior Ballard led all scorers with 19 points while Michael Mills chimed in with 11, but Central Catholic had five players finish in double figures starting with sophomore guard Josh Hamilton’s 18. Cooper Wilson hit four 3s and finished with 16 points. Jared Rice added 15 points, Peter Hamilton had 13 and Amrit Dhaliwal buried three treys on his way to 13 points.

VOL girls
Lathrop 52,
Central Catholic 38
LATHROP — The Spartans (1-1 VOL, 7-5 overall) picked up their biggest win of the season Friday, outscoring Central Catholic (1-1, 10-4) 20-11 in the final period and 37-22 in the second half after slow start.
Lathrop led 10-9 after the first but trailed 18-15 at halftime. Myani Thornton and Danya Phillips pumped in 18 and 15 points, respectively, for the Spartans.
“It was a nip-and-tuck game  until the second half when we upped our tempo and pressure more,” Lathrop coach Dwayne Davis said. “In the fourth quarter we were still fresh, so we just kept pushing and were relentless. It was a good game all-around.”