Basketball roundup: Riverbank, Hughson continued TVL rivalry despite league realignment
After more than two decades of playing twice a year as league rivals, Riverbank and Hughson went their separate ways.
Both sides over the past five seasons have been tied up in heated league championship races, fights for playoff positioning and battles for state playoff berths. That ended after the Bruins left the Trans-Valley League for the Mother Lode League during league realignment, making last season their final year in the competitive girls basketball conference.
But that didn’t mean the matchups between the Bruins and Huskies had to stop. After their final matchup last season in the Sac-Joaquin Section Division IV quarterfinals, the coaches made sure of it.
“After we played Hughson in the playoffs last year, immediately Tim (May, the Huskies’ coach) and I said let’s get a game.” Riverbank coach Janelle Luu said. “I have so much respect for Hughson. We’ve had some battles over the past seven years and it comes in waves. Sometimes he beats us bad, sometimes we get them. But their work ethic is tremendous and what Tim has done with that program, I have nothing but respect for.”
They had to make it an early-season nonleague matchup this season, but the two sides got it done. The result? A wire-to-wire 66-27 Riverbank home win to move to 2-0 early in the season. Junior Leilani Olanolan scored a team-high 23 points and Taylor Macias added 15 for the Bruins.
Over the past eight matchups, the two sides are even at 4-4. Before Riverbank’s win in February 2022, Hughson won the past eight meetings dating back to 2018.
“I’m devastated we’re not in the TVL,” said Luu, who played and coached with Riverbank in the league. “So the section realignment made me sad because Riverbank has always been in the TVL to me. But the Mother Lode is an established league — they have some powerhouses and I have nothing but respect for them.”
Tuesday night, Riverbank jumped out to an early double-digit lead, powering ahead 24-9 after the first quarter and 39-15 at halftime.
This year’s Riverbank team has a mix of youth, experience and skill. Young players include freshmen on the varsity roster and other first-year varsity players called up from JV who watched the success of back-to-back seasons of 20-plus wins. They have the experience with Macias and added Olanolan, a lightning-quick transfer guard from St. Mary’s.
“We’re more hungry this year,” said Luu, who coached JV and varsity last season. “We have a lot of girls up from JV this year that watched our deep runs from the bench and they are so, so happy to be part of it that they are willing to do anything. … They can’t get enough of each other and I hope that foundation will take us throughout the season.”
Riverbank looks to advance to 3-0 Thursday on the road against Ceres while a young Hughson team continues to search for its first win Monday, Dec. 9, on the road against Gregori.
Girls Basketball
Sonora 30, Oakdale 22: The Mustangs could not extend their win streak to three games, falling to Sonora by just eight points. Sonora has won the last 13 matchups dating back to 2010.
Downey 40, Hilmar 32: Downey moved to 3-0 to start the season with a single-digit win over Hilmar on Tuesday. They will travel to Clovis West in Fresno for the Nike Central Valley Showdown from Dec. 5-7.
Orestimba 71, Enochs 69/OT: Orestimba earned its third straight win to start the season, pulling out a close road victory over Enochs. The Eagles went ahead by double digits late in the third quarter, but Orestimba rallied back. Enochs’ Dannielle Warburton made a free throw in the final seconds to tie it at 65, sending the game into overtime. For their next matchups, Enochs travels to River Islands on Thursday and Orestimba visits Liberty Ranch on Dec. 11.
Ceres 57, Modesto 23: After a season-opening loss to Atwater, Ceres picked up three straight wins. In all three, they averaged just over 55 points a game. This is Ceres’ second straight season with at least a 3-1 start.
Patterson 48, Gregori 39: Patterson bounced back from a 10-point loss to Ceres, moving to 2-1 so far this season with a win over Gregori. The Jaguars dropped their second straight contest and will look to bounce back Thursday against Oakdale.
Ripon 36, Pitman 33: Ripon earned its first win under new head coach John Scheid, scoring a season high in points. Since Pitman’s win over Johansen on Nov. 25, they have lost twice.
McNair 54, Turlock 34: Turlock suffered its second straight loss in which it gave up over 50 points. The Bulldogs’ win this season came in a 31-27 game against Central Valley on Nov. 26.
Boys Basketball
Ripon Christian 49, Stone Ridge Christian 43: Jake Vander Veen scored 20 points and Walker Postma added 14 points, nine rebounds and five blocks. The Knights jumped out to an early lead, but Stone Ridge Christian narrowed the game in the second half. Ripon Christian pulled out a key early-season win to move to 2-0. Ripon Christian will participate in the Ron Peterson Tournament at Riverbank High for the rest of the week.
Hughson 75, Waterford 31: Three Huskies scored in double figures, led by freshman Karam Kang’s game-high 25 points and Jackson Gehrke’s 20. James Seay also added 13 points. Kang added six assists and seven steals, Gehrke added eight rebounds, five assists and three steals, and Seay nearly notched a double double, adding nine rebounds.
Argonaut 67, Orestimba 42: The Warriors could not earn their first win this season, dropping to 0-4 early in the year. Argonaut moved to 4-0, winning three home games and one road contest.
Davis 58, Buhach Colony 50: After opening its season with a loss to Gregori near the end of November, Davis earned its first win this season. The Spartans pulled out a narrow victory over Buhach Colony in its second home game.
Sierra 62, Ripon 52: Despite 23 points, five rebounds, four blocks and two steals from Marcus Madoski and 13 points, seven rebounds, five assists and four steals from Logan Lefebvre, Ripon could not come out on top in a nonleague matchup against Sierra.
Escalon 59, Summerville 45: Escalon moved to 2-0 to start the season with a win Tuesday. The Cougars have won both games at home. Their next two games are on the road, visiting Tokay and Bret Harte.
Los Banos 80, Central Valley 71: Central Valley could not move to 4-1 Tuesday night after a single-digit loss to Los Banos. Jace McClennon tallied 24 points, 11 rebounds and six steals for the Hawks in the loss. Central Valley has played its first five games on the road.
Modesto Christian 56, Oakland 52: Gavin Sykes helped the Crusaders overcome a slow start, scoring on key fourth-quarter possessions to claim a victory in their home opener. Myles Jones also split a pair of trips to the free throw line to put the game out of reach with under a minute remaining. The Crusaders host Salesian College Prep on Saturday in a rematch of last season’s Northern California Open Division semifinals.
Pitman 56, Merced 55: Pitman went ahead 29-17 at halftime and led after the third quarter, but Merced stormed back, scoring 21 fourth-quarter points to make it a one-point game. Pitman pulled out the win to move to 4-0.
Whitney 67, Oakdale 45: Oakdale got a good early-season test, playing against the 2023 Division II section champions. The Mustangs fell to 1-1 on the season and will compete in the Godinez Tournament at Turlock High the rest of the week.
Johansen 54, Bret Harte 50: Johansen moved to 3-1 on the season with Tuesday’s narrow win over Bret Harte. The Vikings opened their season with a win over Buhach Colony and on Nov. 30, beat Calaveras. Their lone loss came to Enochs.
El Capitan 56, Turlock 55/OT: Turlock dropped to 1-3 after a heartbreaking overtime loss to El Capitan. The two teams entered halftime tied at 27 and ended regulation tied at 47. Turlock opened the season with a win over Hilmar. It looks to bounce back from three straight losses against Oakdale.
