Rematch set: Ripon tops Sonora, ready for defending D-IV champion CC

Aaron Paschini was recruited by Humboldt State’s football program as a wide receiver, but the Ripon High School senior has the ability to play free safety, too.

His football coaches only need to see tape of Friday’s basketball game, possibly his last in front of home fans.

Dubbed “The Gambler,” Paschini had all the luck for the first two quarters, turning defense into offense as the Indians ran wild on Sonora in the Sac-Joaquin Section Division IV quarterfinals.

The Wildcats clawed back to make the final minutes interesting, but the rally fell short as Ripon won 68-60.

The Indians advance to the semifinals at Tokay High School, where they’ll meet a familiar opponent: top-seeded Central Catholic, which pulled away from Dixon 71-54.

“We stayed with ‘One game at a time,’ ” Ripon coach Rod Wright said. “We knew that Central was there, but we had to get by Marysville, who was better than a 13 (seed), and Sonora, who already beat us.

“Now that we’re there, yeah, it’s nice to play Central on a neutral court and not at their place. They’ll be pumped up, and we won’t have those first two minutes to that game where everyone is wondering if they came to play. … This is our shot.”

Ripon and Central Catholic met in the second round last season, with the Raiders escaping in overtime 64-59. Central Catholic went on to to win its first section title in 28 years.

Paschini, who played with Central Catholic guard Jared Rice on Chuck Hayes’ AAU basketball team last summer, has been pining for a rematch since that loss.

That chance will come Wednesday at Tokay High School in Lodi. Regardless of the outcome, Ripon, the Trans-Valley League champion and top-ranked small-school team in the Stanislaus District, has qualified for the CIF Northern California Regional Tournament.

Nevertheless, the Indians want nothing more than to atone for last year’s loss.

“We’ve been talking about it all year. We thought, if we won league, we’d end up playing them again,” Paschini said. “We got them right where we want them. We got the rematch. We’re coming for them.”

Paschini scored 18 of his game-high 26 points in the first half, but the most telling statistic of the night were his seven steals. Combining instincts, athleticism and wide receiver’s hands, Paschini, the program’s career leader with 315 steals, patrolled the passing lanes like a ball-hawking safety.

He had two steals in 31 seconds to fuel Ripon’s charge in the first quarter, then found forward James Gaalswyk running the floor to make it 23-14.

Paschini was later fouled in the open court after another steal. He made one of two free throws to give Ripon its largest lead, 39-20, with 1:20 left in the half.

“Aaron is the gambling man,” Wright said. “You see him; he’s all over the place. He reads the passing lanes so well. He’s like a free safety.”

Sonora was the aggressor at the start. Kane Rodgers buried a 3-pointer from the top of the arc, highlighting a 6-0 run.

Rodgers finished with 16 points, while Jace Decker scored a team-high 20 points. Nate Patterson was limited to seven points, none in the fourth quarter.

Trailing 6-0, Wright burned a timeout and begged his team to stop settling for 3s. The guard-heavy Indians met the challenge, turning up the pace of the game.

“The intensity level went waaay up,” Wright said. “We know what we can do, but that was probably the best first half we played all season. We were grabbing every rebound. We were making layups and touching everything.”

Ripon responded with a 13-0 surge and didn’t stop until the lead ballooned to 19 late in the second quarter.

Sonora didn’t help its cause. The Wildcats committed 10 turnovers in the first half and went scoreless for more than three minutes in the second quarter.

Meanwhile, Ripon could do no wrong. Reserve posts Vincent Olmo and Gaalswyk controlled the boards, combining for six rebounds in the second quarter, including four on the offensive end.

Cole Stevens (12 points) and Anthony Sisk (10 points) also had eight points apiece in the first half.

“That shows how good we can be,” Paschini said. “If we can get into the paint, if there’s nothing there, kick it. If not, draw some fouls and shoot free throws. That changed the game. It was pretty crazy.”

Sonora didn’t go away. The Wildcats trimmed the deficit to eight with an 18-9 run in the third quarter and then trailed by four following Decker’s 3-pointer with 46 seconds left.

The Indians secured the win from the free-throw line, but it was a struggle. Ripon was 13 of 22 from the line, keeping Sonora in the game.

“We were wondering if we were going to make any free throws,” Wright said. “It’s been the same concern all season, because it’s been the same problem all season. We have to make sure we concentrate when we get there, and then we all sit on the sideline and say a little prayer.”

Ripon avenged a 57-44 loss to the Wildcats in their season opener. At that point, Wright had yet to settle on a starting lineup or rotation.

He played everyone, hoping the best combinations would emerge. Three months later, Ripon finds itself in a redemption game with history on the horizon.

“We’re going to take a lot of momentum out of this game,” Paschini said. “We’ve been waiting all year for this game. We’re ready.”

This story was originally published February 24, 2017 at 10:51 PM with the headline "Rematch set: Ripon tops Sonora, ready for defending D-IV champion CC."