TRACY — Point differential will keep Sierra from competing for the 40th annual Tracy Breakfast Lions/Tom Hawkins Tournament championship tonight, but coach Rudy Valencia is satisfied that his Timberwolves are able to continue their winning ways.
They overcame Ripon and its relentless pressure 50-42 on Friday, capping pool play undefeated.
“If you come out undefeated in a tournament and take third, I’d be happy with that,” Valencia said. “Obviously, the goal is to make the championship. I just think it’s cool to see three Manteca Unified schools as the front runners.”
Ripon (5-8) spoiled the Timberwolves’ shot at the title and even put itself in position to win after trailing by as much as 12 in the fourth quarter.
The Indians went back to their full-court press that gave Sierra fits in the first half, causing turnovers and quick shots while scoring eight unanswered points — a 3-pointer from Kaylee Lehmkuhl, a fastbreak bucket off a steal from Kailee Inderbitzin and another 3 from Vanessah Ponce — that closed them in 44-40 with 3:52 remaining.
Ripon went cold in the end, however, going scoreless over the final 2 minutes while Sierra gave itself some breathing room with a put-back layup from Emma Gilmore and two free throws from Abigail Chapman.
“Sierra is a really solid team, and I knew we had to play a good game to beat them,” Ripon coach Rick Inderbitzin said. “We just didn’t knock down some shots, and when you turn the ball over as many times as we did it hurts. We had a chance but they responded well. Good teams respond to those types of things.”
Gilmore racked up 13 points, eight rebounds, eight steals, four assists and two blocks to lead Sierra. The T’wolves were also keyed by 6-foot twins Abigail and Alexandra Chapman, who played a big role in their team controlling the boards, 37-22.
Abigail pumped in 14 points and 11 rebounds, accounting for 12 of her team’s 17 points in the third quarter. Alexandra finished with 11 points and four rebounds.
“They were huge this game,” Valencia said. “Honestly, it was their best game by far this season, and maybe the best I’ve seen them play. They fought hard for rebounds and attacked the basket, which is what I wanted everybody to do instead of always settling for the outside shot. They worked hard in the post defensively and gave us second-chance shots. This was a big game for both Abi and Alex.”
Taylor Zalunardo scored all of her eight points in the first half, keeping Sierra afloat offensively as the team struggled to make shots from the perimeter. The game was tied at halftime, 18-18.
Lehmkuhl paced Ripon with 17 points, and fellow freshman guard Ava Hernandez added eight. Kailee Inderbitzin chipped in five points, five assists, four rebounds, three steals and two blocks.
“She’s a good player,” coach Inderbitzin said of Lehmkuhl. “She handles the ball very well, and we’d be in trouble if we didn’t have her. Our other freshman I moved up has been coming along the last couple of games.”
The Indians close with West at 2 today.
East Union 49, Enochs 6
The Lancers (13-3) held Enochs (3-8) scoreless in the first and fourth quarters, while seven of their eight available players scored points.
Alessandra Montes led them with 14 points, Mariela Navarro had nine and Julianna Gaspar netted eight.
East Union looks to garner its eighth straight win in the title game tonight at 6:30.
Lathrop 55, Golden Valley 25
Lathrop (10-4) needed to win in a landslide to ensure its spot in the final and took care of business against the winless Cougars (0-12).
The Spartans held them scoreless in the second quarter to stake a 27-6 halftime lead. They continued to widen the margin with 10 different players scoring.
Tatianna Lowery tallied 12 points, three rebounds, four assists and three steals. Shakara Porter (nine points, eight rebounds, two steals), Mariana Delgado (10 points, two blocks), Sierra Adams (seven points, five rebounds, two blocks) and Araya Carson (two points, eight rebounds) were other top contributors.
