Sierra High did not put together its best performance to open the first half of its Cartwright Classic second round contest with Folsom High, but the Timberwolves were able to get things going late. They closed out the contest with a 16-5 fourth quarter for a come-from-behind 48-46 victory Friday.
Emmanuel Elijah and Will Ward helped spark the Sierra comeback, pouring in six and seven points respectively, in the game’s final quarter. The Timberwolves opened the period trailing Folsom by nine before putting together the fourth quarter comeback.
“We were able to get some stops in that fourth,” Sierra head coach Scott Thomason said. “And then Eric (Melgar) hit a big three that kind of got us going.”
Ward led the Timberwolves in scoring with 20, while Justin Patton and Elijah both chipped in with eight.
Sierra (1-1) will meet up with McClatchy in the tournament’s consolation game.
Bronco Roundup
Yuba City 88, Lathrop 57
Digging themselves a hole seems to be a recurring trend for the Spartans, and the lackluster effort early opened the door for a 88-57 loss to Yuba City during the Bella Vista Tournament.
Lathrop (1-2) found itself trailing 33-11 heading into the second quarter.
“Right now, it’s a different night and the same story,” Lathrop head coach Bill Slikker said of the Spartans’ struggles early. “It’s just a matter of believing. We cannot continue to spot teams points in the game’s opening minutes.”
Lathrop was able to keep itself relatively close after the initial quarter scoring 46 points over the final three quarters while limiting Yuba City to 55. Marcus Conley led Lathrop with 14 points and also pulled down a team-high seven rebounds.
The Spartans will try and get on the right track in their tourney finale at 2:30 p.m. against Oakmont.
Peterson Tip-Off
Riverbank 58, Ripon Christian 48
The Knights seemed to be in good position heading into the locker room with a 27-22 halftime lead, but the lead would not last as Ripon Christian got outplayed in the second half of a semifinal loss Friday in the Ron Peterson Tip-Off.
Jon Vander Molen led Ripon Christian with 16 points and Jared Goslinga finished with 15 in the loss.
“Danny Vos got into foul trouble; he picked up his fourth foul in the third quarter and that really hurt us,” Ripon Christian head coach Ron Vander Molen said. “They were able to wear us down offensively.”
The Knights will be back on the court for the tournament’s third-place game at 5:30 against Oakdale High.
