Roundup: Ripon Christian, Modesto Christian clinch boys basketball league titles
The Ripon Christian High boys basketball team entered Friday’s matchup with Riverbank needing a win to clinch the outright Trans-Valley League title but the Bruins refused to just hand the Knights their second straight league championship.
A pair of runs in the second half allowed the Knights to open up a 23-point advantage in the fourth quarter as they went on to claim the TVL title 55-34.
The Knights took a 25-19 lead into halftime, which Riverbank quickly made disappear by the midway point of the third quarter.
The Bruins went on an 11-2 run, grabbing a 30-27 lead to force a Ripon Christian timeout with 3 minutes, 21 seconds left in the period.
Ripon Christian was dominant from there, allowing four points the rest of the game. The Knights scored 10 unanswered to end the third quarter with a 37-30 lead and outscored the Bruins in the final quarter 18-4.
Knights’ top scorer Eli Terpsma had 15 points and Luke Crivello 11. Derek Van Elderen, Jace Beidleman and Trey Fasani added eight apiece.
With the win, Ripon Christian extends its winning streak to 10, remaining unbeaten in TVL play and Terpsma earns his ninth game of 15 or more points. The Knights finish their season next week against Ripon and Hughson.
Boys Basketball
Modesto Christian 65, Lincoln 48: The Crusaders blew out their second straight Sac-Joaquin Section top 10 team in Friday night’s win over the Trojans. They also secured the Tri-City Athletic League title with an 11-0 record. Bj Davis led Modesto Christian with 25 points and Jalen Brown added 17.
Escalon 56, Hughson 48: The Cougars allowed just seven points in the fourth quarter as they went on to win their seventh TVL game this season. Escalon holds the league’s No. 2 spot behind Ripon Christian.
Patterson 63, Buhach Colony 48: The Tigers scored 19 points in the fourth quarter to pull away from Buhach Colony to win their seventh Central California Conference game of the season. Patterson enters the final week of the regular season riding a three-game win streak.
Golden Valley 70, Central Valley 46: The Hawks were unable to win their second straight game, falling to the Cougars. Central Valley drops to 2-8 in CCC play.
Ceres 62, Los Banos 61: The Bulldogs earned their sixth league win, narrowly escaping Los Banos at home.
Beyer 62, Davis 29: Jahmaree Gonder led the Patriots in scoring with 16 points as they moved to 6-6 in Western Athletic Conference play. Prince Major and Deven Hodge added 13 and 10 points, respectively.
Central Catholic 75, Oakdale 27: The Raiders did not allow more than nine points in any quarter during a dominant performance over the Mustangs. Central Catholic extended its win streak to six games and finishes its season Wednesday against VOL leader Manteca.
Downey 59, Pitman 44: The Knights overcame a six-point halftime deficit, securing the program’s first 20-win season since 2006-07 and at least a share of the CCAL title for the first time since 2008. Lloyd French scored 22 points and Reuben Lewis added 16. It is Downey’s eighth straight win.
Turlock 71, Gregori 58: Turlock senior Jed Ladine finished with one of the best scoring performances of any Stanislaus District basketball player this season, erupting for 50 points in the Bulldogs’ win over Gregori.
Girls Basketball
Riverbank 57, Ripon Christian 32: The Bruins won their 21st game overall and remain in line to secure a share of the TVL crown with Hughson. Riverbank plays its final league games next week against Livingston and Hilmar.
Hughson 53, Escalon 33: The Huskies finished a week of three league games with a 20-point win over last year’s league champion Escalon. Hughson won its 10th TVL game and finishes league play Thursday against Ripon Christian.
Boys Soccer
Enochs 0, Pitman 0: The Eagles and Pride remain the CCAL’s third- and fourth-place teams after Friday’s tie.
Davis 2, Johansen 2: After scoring two goals in the first half, the Spartans could not hold off Johansen as the Vikings scored twice in the second half. Davis maintains the league’s No. 2 spot heading into its final game against Ceres on Monday.
Modesto 1, Gregori 1: The Panthers took a 1-0 lead in the first half but Gregori found a way to even the score in the second. The two teams are tied for the CCAL’s top spot at 5-1-2 entering the season’s final week.
Pacheco 5, Beyer 0: The Patriots’ losing streak extended to seven games after Friday’s WAC game against Pacheco. Beyer ends its season 2-16-3 overall and 1-11-2 in league.
Mountain House 1, Ceres 0: A first-half goal was enough to hand the Bulldogs their sixth league loss. Ceres attempted two shots on goal in the game.
Girls Soccer
Enochs 2, Pitman 2: Senior Analise Lighthall found sophomore Kaytlynn Nice for both of the Eagles’ goals in Friday’s tie. The Eagles and Pride sit at second and third place, respectively, in the CCAL standings heading into the regular season’s final week.
Escalon 0, Riverbank 0: The Bruins and Cougars finished their Trans-Valley League match tied. Riverbank goalkeeper Alex McIver finished with eight saves.
Turlock 8, Downey 1: Senior Jenna Dean led Turlock with two goals and two assists as seven players contributed goals in the win. The Bulldogs maintain first place in the CCAL with a 7-0-1 league record. Junior Caroline Souza scored the Knights’ lone goal in the second half.
Beyer 10, Los Banos 0: The Patriots finish their season as Western Athletic Conference champions for the second straight season.
This story was originally published February 4, 2023 at 11:47 AM.
