The Ripon Indians held the Escalon Cougars to just 10 points in the first half en route to a 53-39 victory in Trans-Valley League action Thursday night.

The game represented a huge bounce back spot for the Indians (4-1 TVL, 12-9 overall), who suffered their first league loss of the season to undefeated Sonora on Tuesday night. They responded by playing the same intense, smothering defense that has gotten them out to their strong start in TVL play.

“Our defense has saved us in a lot of games this year,” Indians coach Dean Balcao said. “It’s something we work hard on in practice every day and has become a staple for this group of guys.”

Eight steals and a drawn charge from guard Nathan Curless, his first of two on the night, helped stifle the Escalon (2-3, 12-9) offense that went eight minutes without scoring midway through the first half.

“We missed a lot of shots early,” Escalon coach Nate Bartelink said. “What happens is you miss a few and you start playing tight, feeling it a bit, and before you know it, you’re chasing 10 points at the half.”

Escalon’s 2-3 zone gave the Indians some trouble of their own in the first half, holding the home side to just 20 points at the break.

The Cougars showed they wouldn’t go away easily early in the second half, quickly cutting the lead to four midway through the third, making the tough shots that had not fallen early on.

“We showed a lot of grit fighting back,” Bartelink said. “But with the way the first half went, you almost have to play a perfect game and catch some breaks to overcome that.”

The Cougars were paced by Ben Ferreira and Logan Huebner, who scored 10 points each.

For Ripon, it seemed to be someone different making a big play on offense each time Escalon made a run. Three players finished in double figures, led by Marcus Madoski with 22 points. Ethan Baur and Logan Lefebvre finished with 10 points each.

“We play the best when we are balanced on offense. When we have three guys in double figures, teams can’t key on Marcus as much. It helps us out a ton,” Balcao said.

Perhaps the biggest bucket of the night came from forward Tanner Hickman, however. Early in the fourth quarter, with the Cougars having cut the lead back down to four at 36-32, Hickman settled his team down with a 15-foot jumper from the wing, two of his eight points to go along with five rebounds. The shot sparked a 17-7 run to close out the game for the Indians.

“I’ve been telling Tanner since last year that he can shoot,” Balcao said. “We play a jump-shooting game in practice, and he is always one of the last guys standing. And when he finds those open looks and knocks them down, it is big for us.”

The Indians will play their next two on the road starting tonight at Hilmar, followed by a trip to Hughson next Wednesday evening.

Junior Varsity

Escalon 53, Ripon 40

Demario Gamboa led the Indians with 10 points in the loss. Cooper Marino contributed seven points.