Ripon boys avenge loss to Escalon

Ripon sharpshooter Aaron Paschini spent long stretches of the first meeting with Escalon on the bench with foul trouble.

He was helpless against a seemingly predictable upset. The Cougars beat the favored Indians on their home floor for the fifth consecutive season.

On Friday, Paschini found a new place to hang out – the free-throw line. The junior knocked down five free throws in the final minutes and tallied 11 points in the quarter as Ripon exacted revenge with a 64-54 victory.

Paschini finished with a game-high 23 points and wingman Cole Stevens tallied 14 for Ripon, now 19-4 overall and 7-1 in the Trans-Valley League. The Indians have won six consecutive games since that home setback to the Cougars.

Ripon sits a half-game back of crosstown rival Ripon Christian in the standings. Escalon (10-13, 4-4) is in third place, a half-game ahead of Hilmar and Riverbank.

Andrew Wood chipped in 10 points for the Indians, who outscored the Cougars 20-14 over the final eight minutes.

Caleb Hansen paced Escalon with 16 points. Tommy Pangan and Sammy Lattig finished with 12 apiece.

The Indians limited Pangan, a dead-eye shooter, to just one three-pointer. In their first meeting, Pangan knocked down six triples en route to 23 points.

This story was originally published February 6, 2016 at 2:32 PM with the headline "Ripon boys avenge loss to Escalon."