STOCKTON — After rolling through an undefeated Valley Oak League campaign and the last three contests by a combined score of 46-22, No. 2 Ripon and sixth-seeded Ponderosa squared off in a Sac-Joaquin Section Division II boys quarterfinal tilt Friday at St. Mary’s High School’s Cortopassi Aquatics Complex.
And unlike what the Indians have been used to, they did not score until the closing seconds of the first period on a Matt Lee penalty shot before rolling to a 15-6 win.
Ripon (19-12) continues its 2024 NorCal championship defense on Wednesday in Lodi against the No. 2 Flames at 5:30 p.m.
“That is something we were worried about,” Indians coach Jeremy West said. “We knew Pondo was going to be very aggressive. This was probably the most athletic team we have faced in a while.
“We knew they were going to come out strong, and it was a defensive battle for a quarter. Eventually, they wore down, and we were able to get some counterattack goals, and that really opened everything else up.”
To open the playoffs on Wednesday against Woodcreek, Ripon goalie Andrew Hanker posted five saves. He had 10 saves in the first half alone Friday and finished with 13.
“We were seeded much higher than Woodcreek so we knew that we should win that game,” Hanker said. “Coach said this was going to be a big game and I just wanted to set the tone by getting those first blocks to give our team confidence.”
After Lee’s penalty shot at the end of the first period, he added another goal off of a rebound in the second and three more in the second half for a total of five to go with his two assists.
“We weren’t exactly ready,” Lee said. “And our shots weren’t landing.
“Once we got more comfortable, we got into our grove.”
Boen West tallied three steals along with three goals and two assists for the Indians.
“On defense, you are the last stop before the goalie,” Boen West said. “It is important to have a good defense in order to get good counterattacks.
“Steals can turn into goals on the opposite side.”
Ripon’s Trevor Bell added four goals, two assists and a steal and Deven Patel chipped in two goals and two assists.
The Bruins (16-13) of Shingle Springs were held to four goals until the final 90 seconds when, after Coach West cleared the bench, Ponderosa stepped up its attack with two quick goals and would have got a third had goalie Gage Saavedra not made a highlight-reel save.
Ponderosa’s Ashton Kollenborn tallied two goals.
