The Ripon Indians suffered their first Trans Valley League loss Tuesday night, falling to the hot-shooting Escalon Cougars, 57-41.
The host Indians (10-1, 17-10) came in riding an 11-game winning streak, needing just one win in their last two to clinch the outright TVL championship — a dramatic turnaround after winning just two league games a season ago.
“They made shots and we didn’t tonight,” Ripon coach John Scheid said. “We played a box-and-one on them, trying to key on their playmaker, and the rest of their team made shots when they needed to.”
The focus of Ripon’s defensive efforts all night long was sophomore standout Arianna Velasco, who came into the game averaging 13.7 points and 4.1 assists on the season. The Cougars (9-2, 16-11) and head coach Joe Dalpogetti were ready for the added attention on Velasco.
“They played the box-and-one the first time we played them,” Dalpogetti said. “It surprised us the first time they did it, but this time we had all week to prepare. And to come out and score 57 points as balanced as we were is something I’ve very pleased with.”
The extra attention given to Velasco benefited teammates Ayana Cocio and Madi Babasa, who found themselves with open looks all evening, especially in the second half. Babasa finished with a game-high 16 points on three 3-pointers, and Cocio poured in 14 with four buckets coming from behind the 3-point line.
“To be honest, we were cold in the first quarter,” Dalpogetti said. “We talked in that first break about what you need to do to win games when your shot isn’t falling, and I thought we did those things until the shots did start to fall.”
The game started much closer than the final score would indicate. Ripon, led by strong guard play from Kaylee Lehmkuhl and Leila Sanchez, found success, especially in the lane. With less than a minute left in the first half, the score was tied,17-17. The Indians benefited from stellar front-court play from senior forward Shayla McKeon, who collected 11 of her game-high 19 rebounds in the first half to go along with eight points.
“Shayla is the heart and soul of this team,” Scheid said. “She comes to play every night and gets hit and hacked all night, gets beat up and never complains. We wouldn’t be where we are as a team without her toughness inside.”
Unfortunately for Scheid and the Indians, Escalon found its shooting stroke late in the first half into the fourth quarter, going on a 25-10 run to put the game out of reach. Escalon finished with eight made 3-pointers in the game.
For Ripon, the focus now shifts to their final TVL game of the season, a road tilt at Hilmar on Thursday night, with a win locking up an outright league championship. The message to his team is simple according to Scheid.
“I told them I was really happy with a lot of the things we did tonight,” Scheid said. “They got some looks to fall and we didn’t, and that’s how it goes sometimes. If we come out on Thursday and make some shots ourselves, play good defense, and rebound, we will be in a good spot.”
Junior varsity
Ripon 31, Escalon 22
Brooklyn Singh led all scorers with 15 points in Ripon’s victory. Savannah Richardson also contributed seven points
