Idrees ElFarra sat by himself on the home bleachers long after River Islands’ first postseason game in program history on Wednesday.
The seventh-seeded Riptide took a frustrating 68-59 loss to 10th-seeded Big Valley Christian in the Sac-Joaquin Section Division V opener held at the EPIC Academy gym.
Other players, while teary-faced, exchanged somber farewells with coach Justin Graham and assistant Reed Holland on their way out.
“These guys care,” Graham said.
And these guys are all coming back.
It may not have been the way the Riptide (16-13) envisioned themselves ending their inaugural varsity campaign, but a solid foundation has been set by what Graham described as a “special group.”
“This whole year, for me, was just about proving people wrong,” ElFarra said. “I know what I bring to the table every night, and I know what the other guys bring to the table every night. That was just one thing we wanted to do, was just prove everyone wrong. We tried to do that tonight, we just fell short.”
River Islands’ electric junior point guard did all he could, scoring a game-high 29 points to go with four steals and three assists. Charles Mapanao, who came into the game ranked third in the SJS in made 3-pointers, added 13 points.
Big Valley Christian (16-9), headed by its own talented point guard in Titus Boone, was just more efficient in crucial moments down the stretch.
The Riptide led for the last time at 50-48 after Mapanao’s 3-pointer with 6:37 to go, but BVC countered with a game-changing 12-0 run — including back-to-back 3s from Wyatt Porter and Evan Helm — over the next 4 minutes.
Porter finished with 21 points and seven rebounds. Boone collected 20 points, six assists, five rebounds and five steals. Helm contributed 10 points.
It was the second encounter of the season between these two teams. Big Valley visited back on Nov. 25 and prevailed, 69-67.
With no seniors on either team, there’s a good chance of them meeting again next year. For now, the Lions are preparing to hit the road again, as they’ll face No. 2 Argonaut (23-6) for quarterfinal date in Jackson on Friday.
“Super proud of my guys for the work they put in,” Big Valley Christian coach Chris Ringler said. “I think we’ve grown a lot since that November game.
“(River Islands) is a fast, aggressive team, and the guys were able to keep their composure tonight. We’ll see these guys plenty more, and I’m looking forward to matching up them again next year. It’s a good team they have out here.”
The Lions had advantages in both size and experience in their frontcourt with the likes of 6-foot-4 juniors
Getting out-sized is nothing new to the Riptide, but their low-post duo of 6-1 junior Dylan Peter (eight points, six rebounds, four steals) and 6-foot freshman Zachary Basurto (five points, eight rebounds) were once again up to the task.
“We wouldn’t have been here today without those two guys, for sure,” Graham said. “They’re kind of our unsung heroes. They may not average 15 or 20 (points), but they do a lot for us that maybe go unseen in the box score, but we see them. There’s a reason they’re out there.”
Graham is looking forward to another season with the same group, even with heightened expectations.
“They are all really tight with each other,” Graham said. “They push each other in practice, but it’s all out of love, fun and respect. I told them this (loss) is motivation. We’re probably going to have Big Valley again on the schedule next year, so there are more opportunities to see them. There is a lot of work ahead of us, and we know the challenges coming for next season.”
