TRACY — Ripon coach Rick Inderbitzin doesn’t expect a team led by Larissa Founts-Bergerson to quit.
He knows his former player too well.
Thanks to a phenomenal effort from Reina Sausedo, Inderbitzin’s Indians held off feisty Sierra 59-43 in the first round of the Tracy Breakfast Lions/Tom Hawkins Tournament at Swenson Gym on Wednesday.
Ripon (8-4) executed to near-perfection at the start, rolling to a 16-5 lead with still 3:35 remaining in the opening quarter. The Timberwolves (8-3) managed to stay within range until the Indians scored 10 unanswered points for a 43-26 advantage in the third quarter.
Founts-Bergerson graduated from East Union in 2005 where Inderbitzin was previously coach and still teaches.
“They play hard and they get after it,” Inderbitzin said. “Knowing Larissa, that’s the type of tempo that she brings for her team. They play with enthusiasm and energy. I knew going into it we were going to have a difficult time because in our last couple of games we were kind of flat. I was curious going in how we were going to respond and I thought we responded pretty well.”
The Indians, though, had their struggles. Their efficiency to start did not carry over into the second quarter when they committed 10 of their 21 turnovers, some of it caused by Sierra’s scrappiness.
Enter Sausedo, who finished with 26 points, 10 rebounds and five assists. She accounted for Ripon’s final six points of the second quarter, ending that flurry with stellar end-to-end play. After blocking two shots in the post, she dribbled the length of the court and scored on a drive from the baseline while drawing a foul. Sausedo missed the and-one free throw, but the Indians took a 31-22 lead into halftime.
“Reina does help us out quite a bit,” Inderbitzin said. “If you’re going to play man-to-man we’re going to clear the floor and let her take it herself. It’s a pretty nice luxury to have.”
Sausedo scored five points in Ripon’s decisive third-quarter run which was capped by Mackenzie Hutchinson’s put-back layup. Mackenzie finished with 10 points
Sierra, meanwhile, went on a 4-minute, 50-second scoring drought in that stretch. Inessa Villanueva ended with three free throws after she was fouled on a 3-point attempt. She collected 14 points and nine rebounds. Natalie Dias pitched in 11 points, 10 boards and five steals.
“We tried to get it into the post and do some things to slow it down,” Founts-Bergerson said. “We were getting shots from the outside but our shots were not falling. Everything we tried to do to attack the basket, it just wasn’t our night. We’ve been averaging two to three (made) 3s a quarter but that didn’t happen tonight.”
Ripon takes on Beyer tonight at 5. Sierra plays Tokay with tipoff set for 11 a.m.

Enochs 52, East Union 51
The Lancers (6-5) had could not take advantage of their opportunities to ice the win.
Enochs (8-2) did.
East Union was unable to convert on a put-back following a missed free throw, the last of four straight misfires from the stripe in the final minute, and the Eagles drove the length of the court and got a buzzer-beating runner from Melissa Brady to drop. Enochs trailed 20-4 after the first quarter and did not lead until the final shot attempt.
“I love the start,” East Union coach Jim Agostini said. “We were controlling the pace of the game and things were going our way. In the second half our defense just wasn’t good enough and we stopped making shots.”
Donja Payne and Nina Murphy led East Union with 21 and 11 points, respectively. Emily Counter turned in 14 to pace Enochs, while Ale Martinez contributed 12. Second-round action opens this morning at 9:30 with East Union taking on Escalon.

Mountain House 54 Weston Ranch 53
Weston Ranch (6-5) nearly evened the score with the Mustangs (4-10), who won their previous showdown 74-62 in the first round of the Lodi Tournament on Dec. 6.
Both teams struggled to gain traction because of constant stoppages in action. Eighty-seven free throws were attempted in the contest, and six players fouled out. The Cougars shot 13 for 38 from the foul line while Mountain House made 22 of 49.
“There was no flow, tempo and pace to the game,” Weston Ranch coach Chris Bauer said.
Weston Ranch was led by Kyshanti King’s 13 points, Jennalyn Laminero tallied 11 and Ashanti Boatman pulled down 13 rebounds. The Cougars play Rio Americano today at 12:30 p.m.
Andrea Garcia poured in 31 points for Mountain House, which snapped a six-game losing streak.