Riverbank girls basketball falls to Liberty Ranch in closely contested D-IV title game
The last time the Riverbank girls basketball team played at Golden 1 Center, it ended in disappointment.
In 2023, the Bruins, reached their first-ever section title game but ran into a buzzsaw, a storied Colfax program that beat the Bruins at their own game. They created turnovers, caused confusion and beat the Bruins 56-38, looking every bit like a program with the second most titles in section history.
Head coach Janelle Luu and the Bruins were not happy with how they played. They weren’t the Bruins.
“A deer in headlights,” Luu said of the Bruins first section title appearance two seasons ago.
Luu said she could not watch that Colfax game for a long time. She recently pulled up the video. And the team said they wanted to be better.
Everything was different the second time around.
They watched more film, had a more in-depth scouting report and practiced against the Riverbank High boys team. Luu even changed her game-day coaching attire.
But sometimes you can do nearly everything right. And it still won’t be enough.
On paper, No. 2 Riverbank outplayed No. 1 Liberty Ranch for three quarters. They forced 32 turnovers and recorded 14 more steals and three more blocks than their opponents. But after the final buzzer, it was a second-place plaque instead of a blue banner once again as Liberty Ranch came out with a 55-50 win to claim its first ever section title.
“I can say I have no regrets this time, though,” Luu said of the team’s preparation. “I’m proud to be their leader and I’ll always be proud to be their leader.”
At times, the Bruins played like they were ready for the moment.
They held Liberty Ranch to under 20 first-quarter points as the two sides finished the opening frame even at 17 apiece.
When the Hawks went on their runs, outscoring Riverbank in the second quarter to take a 32-25 halftime lead, they did not panic, instead, they regrouped at halftime and trimmed a 12-point deficit to just five with a 7-0 third-quarter run.
Riverbank outscored Liberty Ranch in the second half but second-quarter woes ultimately determined the game.
The Bruins were outscored 15-9 in the second quarter, which in most games isn’t surprising. However, Liberty Ranch shot 12 free throws in just the second quarter while the Bruins did not shoot any. By the halftime buzzer, Riverbank was called for 10 fouls while Liberty Ranch fouled just once.
“I think the Riverbank Bruins played undisciplined defense,” Luu said. “We drill it and drill it and drill it but when it came down to the big game, the emotions got in the way of playing. On the board pregame it said ‘Don’t let emotions get in the way of doing the things you can control.’ And it certainly did.”
In total, Liberty Ranch made 24 of 32 free throws while the Bruins shot just eight, making four.
Luu was emotional after the game. Partially because it is tough to get to the championship game and lose, and partially because there is a group of seniors who have been with her from the beginning, through the turnaround.
“I told (the team) I walked in the locker room I was kind of out of breath because, gosh, losing like that takes the wind out of you,” Luu said. “They were crying, especially those four seniors who’ve done it before and took second place. They’re devastated. I said that’s the beauty of sports. Sometimes the highs are so high. Sometimes the lows are very low.
“I get torn up because watching your kids’ hearts be broken sucks.”
Leilani Olanolan shook off early nerves to score a team-high 18 points, make four of 16 threes and swipe four steals before fouling out. A personal 6-0 run in the fourth quarter helped Riverbank make it a single-digit game with 2 minutes, 44 seconds left in the game.
“She played with a lot of heart,” Luu said. “Some of the shots she usually makes, just didn’t fall.”
Taylor Macias added 12 points, a game-high five steals and three assists and Aliyah Felix and Paloma Reyes added six points apiece.
Liberty Ranch’s star guard Haley Smith holds an offer from Fresno State and Thursday afternoon, the junior showed why. She attacked the basket, scoring every one of her game-high 26 points from inside the three-point line. She drew 11 fouls by herself and went 14-of-16 from the free-throw line and 6-for-12 from the floor.
“I have so much respect for the Williams family at Liberty Ranch,” Luu said. “Haley Smith is a great player. You can’t let a good player go to the line 16 times. It’s not going to work out in your favor.”
The Bruins are back to work at practice on Monday.
Because they advanced to at least the section semifinals, they earned their third straight trip to the Northern California Regional playoffs. For the last two seasons, they competed in the D-IV NorCal tournament. The 2025 brackets will be released Sunday.
They will have to have a short memory to extend their season past their first-round matchup on Tuesday.
“I’m waiting for the bracket, I’m excited,” Luu said. “I think that the seniors’ mindset is hey, how much longer do you want to wear this jersey? One more game or four more games? We have a good group of seniors that have a lot of heart. We’ll go as far as they take us.”
This story was originally published February 27, 2025 at 8:18 PM.
