Sickler-Lopez saved her best performance in the Sac-Joaquin Section Division III playoffs for the final round, and the second-seeded Indians (13-10) needed every bit of it Saturday at Roseville Aquatic Center.

She buried the sudden-death goal with 1:04 remaining in the third overtime period, propelling Ripon past No. 1 Christian Brothers 9-8 and to its first-ever Section title. Sickler-Lopez carried the attack and sparked the defense, finishing with seven goals and eight steals.

Ripon outshot the Falcons (17-14) from Sacramento 36-27, and she attempted 17 of them. Sickler-Lopez opened scoring with a backhand shot and struck again 23 seconds later for a 2-0 Ripon lead in the first quarter.

Christian Brothers clawed back from five two-goal deficits in regulation and rallied for four unanswered to take an 8-6 lead in the first over time. Crystallyn Tran assisted Sickler-Lopez’s transition goal late in the second overtime and then knotted with a goal of her own with 6 seconds remaining, forcing the sudden-death period.

Last Tuesday, Nov. 8, she racked up three goals, eight steals and an assist in a 13-2 semifinal win over No. 3 El Dorado. It was the bounce-back effort coach Erik Zador had hoped for following a more pedestrian outing in the opening round against Los Banos on Nov. 3. The Indians won handily 13-4, but Sickler-Lopez had just one goal and an assist.

“Not that we had any trouble there, but she struggled a little bit individually against Los Banos,” Zador said. “Against El Dorado, I don’t know what changed but she came out and just stepped up.

“I told her, ‘Whatever you did there, do the same thing, play your game and have a great time.’ That’s what she did. She came out with nothing to lose and absolutely stepped up. She was definitely our game winner.”