Riverbank girls basketball team beats Escalon to advance to first Division IV title game
After the Riverbank High girls basketball team won in the second round of the Sac-Joaquin Section Division IV playoffs and advanced to the Division IV section semifinals for the first time in school history, coach Janelle Luu’s message was simple.
“I told them, ‘Every game you play from here on out is historical. Every basket you score, every time you step on the floor, you’re making history.’” Luu said. “I’m extremely proud of these girls. I couldn’t ask for a better team.”
The Bruins extended their season Tuesday in the semifinals, beating Trans-Valley League opponent Escalon at home, 58-41.
With the win, Riverbank advances to its first ever Division IV section championship. They play No. 1 seed Colfax at 2 p.m. Friday at Golden 1 Center.
The Bruins’ only previous title berth came in 1985, in Division III. They lost to Justin-Siena, 62-54. They also will participate in the Northern California Regional playoffs next week for the first time in school history.
“All the hard work, all the practices, everything we’ve been through, at the end of the day, it doesn’t matter because winning just feels amazing.” Luu said.
Luu took over the program in 2018 and finished her first season with a 1-20 record. The next year, Livi Fernandez came into the program as a freshman and the turnaround began. The two bonded over their desire to produce wins for a team heavily rooted in the community.
“This community raised me,” Luu said. “Growing up here is not flashy, but this community loves their athletics. They love this high school and they love my girls.”
The Bruins won four games in 2019 and the COVID-shortened 2021 spring season, then exploded for 19 wins in 2022. This season, they have gone 26-3 and take an 11-game win streak into Friday’s section championship.
“It took a lot of patience and a lot of hard work,” Fernandez said. “Janelle and I knew what we were going to build and we knew how we wanted to get there. We just needed girls … that were as motivated as us and we have those girls now.”
Fernandez was one of a trio of Bruins that reached double figures Tuesday. She scored 13 points while sophomore Taylor Macias and junior Rayne Tago tied with a team-high 16.
Fernandez, Macias and junior Chancis Gamez were key contributors to last year’s team and came back looking to improve after getting bounced in the first round by Capital Christian.
Tago joined the team this year and in 13 games is averaging nearly a double double, scoring 11.5 points and grabbing a team-high 8.7 rebounds.
“(Coming) from my freshman year, I didn’t think we were gonna make it,” Fernandez said. “I’m so glad to have girls that want it just as bad as me and I’m so glad I was able to be a part of it and make memories with the girls.”
The Bruins never trailed Tuesday.. They started the game on a 5-0 run and opened a 21-point lead late in the fourth quarter.
They will play in the program’s biggest game in almost 40 years Friday. Luu says the key for her team is to remain composed.
“It’s about not letting the moment get too big,” she said. “We always say emotions are good when used in the right way. Colfax, this is a battle tested team. They’ve been to the section final … so they know what it takes.
“We’re just ready for the challenge and to give it our all out there. That’s all I can ask of them.”
This story was originally published February 22, 2023 at 11:33 AM.
