Riverbank girls basketball avoids D-IV upset, advances to third straight section semifinal
Taylor Macias admits she was nervous at the free-throw line Thursday.
With a chance to seal the game, she stood waiting for the official to give her the ball for the first of two free throws in the Sac-Joaquin Section Division IV quarterfinals against Valley Christian.
Just minutes earlier, the Riverbank senior and her Bruins team thought their season could end prematurely. They had lost all momentum and their double-digit lead, but a strong fourth quarter, led in part by Macias’ eight points in the frame, kept the Bruins’ season alive.
“My free throws have been off lately,” she admitted. “I just tried to block out the crowd, act like there was no one there and shoot them with confidence.”
Macias did not want her last high school basketball game to be at home. She wants to get back to Golden 1 Center. To the section championship. The Bruins’ all-time leading scorer with over 1,500 career points calmly sank her two free throws, sealing a 72-61 Riverbank win, sending them to the semifinals for a third straight season.
“We wanted to prove ourselves, because I feel like a lot of people are doubting our skill,” she said. “This is our chance to prove ourselves.”
There was a time when it didn’t look like the game would be that close.
The Bruins jumped out to an early double-digit lead, 21-9 after the first eight minutes. But Valley Christian stormed back in the second quarter, cutting the Riverbank lead to just eight. The struggles continued after the intermission and with just over two minutes left in the third quarter, the Lions took their first lead of the game. By the end of the frame, Valley Christian was ahead 48-46.
“When we were down, we looked at each other and said we all have to want it,” Macias said.
Each Valley Christian run was fueled by senior Gabby Jackson-Brown, who finished with 25 points. She finished with 18 points in the second and third quarters to spark the Lions’ comeback effort.
“She’s a player,” Riverbank head coach Janelle Luu said. “In the first quarter, I thought we played her well and she worked for everything. When we strayed away from the game plan, she went off, and you can’t let players like that get comfortable around the rim. She was impressive.”
Macias and Leilani Olanolan led a spirited fourth-quarter comeback that included a 10-4 run early in the frame to give the Bruins a 56-52 lead. After the Lions cut the Bruins’ lead to two with around a minute left, the guard tandem led a 9-0 run, capped by Macias’ free throws to seal the win.
Macias finished with 25 points, four rebounds, three assists and two steals, and Olanolan tallied nine of her game-high 27 points in the fourth quarter on three big threes. She finished with eight made threes and added a game-high eight assists.
Ten minutes after the final buzzer, the Bruins formed a half circle near the home bench, waiting for their coach to join them for a makeshift celebration.
Each member of the team cheered as Riverbank athletic director Juan Harvey handed Luu a practice basketball with “100 wins” written on it, commemorating the milestone. In her seventh season at the helm of her alma mater, Luu earned her 100th victory. While it came with suspense, it was a win nonetheless.
Luu took over the program ahead of the 2018-19 season. The Bruins went 1-20 overall and 0-12 in the Trans-Valley League. Over the last three seasons, they’ve not won fewer than 22 games. They finished two of the years as co-TVL champions and co-MLL champions and have made it to the section semifinals in each of the last three seasons.
“It’s a huge milestone,” Luu said. “And I’m really proud it happened tonight of all nights.
“I didn’t think we’d be here seven years ago. It’s a testament to our school life, our AD is great, he’s super-supportive. They’re giving me the freedom to be who I am and not shying away from my personality. He lets me do it my way and the kids respond to that. I think we’ve built something kids want to play for.”
Macias and Janelle Luu’s younger sister, Avah, are both four-year starters who have been there for 91 of Luu’s 100 wins.
“They’ve been with me, they’ve grown with me,” Janelle Luu said.
If they want to keep their season alive, Luu said the Bruins must remember the team motto.
“Knowing who we are, continuing to play good defense and trusting their training,” she said. “We say, ‘Us will get you yours.’ Knowing the ball will find who it’s supposed to find and knowing that if we all are a collective, we’ll all eat at the end of the day.”
Girls Basketball
Division III
No. 2 Ponderosa 67, No. 10 Ceres 34: The Bulldogs’ second straight 20-plus-win season ended Thursday night in the D-III section playoffs. After earning the first-round upset, Ceres traveled to No. 2 Ponderosa and was held to just five second-quarter and six third-quarter points. Ceres finishes the season with a 22-8 overall record.
Division IV
No. 1 Liberty Ranch 54, No. 9 Ripon 36: Ripon was held to just 11 first-half points by the top seed in the Division IV bracket in Thursday’s season-ending loss. Ripon ends the season as TVL champions, with an 11-1 league record and a 19-11 overall record, the program’s most wins since 2019-20.
Division V
No. 3 Argonaut 56, No. 6 Ripon Christian 44: The Knights outscored Argonaut in the final quarter, but a low-scoring first half ended up being the difference. Three Mustangs scored in double figures against Ripon Christian. The Knights finished 10-13 overall.
Girls Soccer
Division I
No. 3 Gregori 1, No. 6 St. Mary’s 0: For the second game in a row, Gregori scored the game-winner in the second half. The Jaguars will host the Division I semifinal Tuesday after No. 10 Folsom upset No. 2 Inderkum. The Jaguars and Bulldogs face off Tuesday, Feb. 25.
Division III
No. 5 Oakdale 1, No. 4 Del Campo 0 (2 OT): Freshman Ashlyn Splettstoesser scored the game winner for the Mustangs, assisted by Dakota Burford in the second overtime. Oakdale advanced to the D-III semifinals for the second straight season. Avery Alves played all 100 minutes in goal and picked up seven saves in the shutout effort. The Mustangs host the semifinal Tuesday at 6 p.m. after No. 8 Christian Brothers upset top-seeded Sierra.
Division IV
No. 1 Twelve Bridges 3, No. 12 Central Catholic 1: The Raiders’ Cinderella run came to an end in the D-IV semifinals to the division’s top seed. Central Catholic finishes the season 6-12-4 overall and was one of just two 12 seeds in the entire section to make it to the semifinals.
No. 3 Lincoln 3, No. 2 Ripon 1: Ripon fell at home to third-seed Lincoln High. Ripon finishes the season 18-5-1 overall and 11-1 in TVL play.
Division V
No. 1 Hilmar 3, No. 5 Agronaut 0: Alyssa Colston scored twice and Raylynn Mendoza added a goal as Hilmar advanced to its second straight section championship. Teygan Horstmeier, Brisa Gonzales and Alexis Aguiar each tallied an assist. In goal, Kayden Elston recorded five saves and a shutout. The Yellowjackets take on No. 3 Liberty Ranch in the section championship Saturday at 3 p.m. at Cosumnes River College for the D-V championship.
Division VI
No. 1 Ripon Christian 1, No. 5 Bradshaw Christian 0: Tatum Sonke scored the game’s only goal and Alanna Blanco get the helper to send Ripon Christian to the section title game. Morgan Schenk earned the shutout and tallied 14 saves. The Knights take on No. 2 seed Big Valley Christian on Saturday at 11 a.m. at Cosumnes River College for the D-VI championship.
No. 2 Big Valley Christian 4, No. 3 Golden Sierra 0: Big Valley Christian won its 13th game overall and extended its win streak to four games in Thursday’s win. The Lions play top seed Ripon Christian on Saturday at 11 a.m. at Cosumnes River College for the D-VI championship.
Boys Soccer
Division V
No. 1 Summerville 0 (W), No. 5 Hilmar 0: Hilmar and Summerville finished tied at 0-0 but the Yellowjackets could not pull out the penalty shootout victory, falling 5-4 to the top seed in Division V. Hilmar’s season ends with a 10-7-6 record. Summerville extends its win streak to 12 games and has a 20-3 record overall.
Division VI
No. 1 Millennium 3, No. 4 Ripon Christian 1: Ricky Van Unen scored Ripon Christian’s lone goal, assisted by Isaiah Vander Woude as the Knights and Falcons entered the half tied at 1-1. Top seed Millennium added a pair of second-half goals to secure a trip to the section title game. Ripon Christian finishes the season 11-5-6 overall.
This story was originally published February 21, 2025 at 10:09 AM.
