East Union’s girls basketball team is starting its season with three road games against solid teams.

After dropping their opener last week, the Lancers bounced back Monday with a 59-42 at Merced. They played stifling defense for three quarters to take a 25-point lead, 49-24, into the fourth.

Freshman guard Haven Stone led them with 18 points and seven assists. Ava Barrera scored 11 points, while grabbing 10 rebounds.

Zyon Dupree and Shebra Rezaye added 13 and eight points, respectively. Averie Steverson scored 12 points for Merced (0-1).

East Union (1-1) is back in action tonight at Gregori of Modesto.

BOYS BASKETBALL

East Union 62 Valley 21

Lorenzo Jones pumped in 16 points, as the Lancers (1-1) rolled to the lopsided victory at Dalben Center.

Kirk Simoni contributed 10 points, and Jackson Pelizzarri had eight.

Big Valley Christian 69, River Islands 67

In a back-and-forth affair, River Islands (1-1) wound up dropping a heartbreaker in the final minute.

The Riptide, after climbing back from a double-digit deficit, had a chance to win it at the end but turned it over with about 7 seconds remaining. Following a timeout, Big Valley’s Titus Boone drove coast-to-coast and scored the winning bucket as time expired.

Idrees ElFarra led River Islands with 20 points, and Euan Costales hit four 3s for his 12 points. Zach Basurto chimed in with 10 points.

River Islands goes across town next Tuesday, Dec. 3 at Lathrop for the first varsity showdown between the two programs.

BOYS SOCCER

Ripon Christian 6, Bear Creek 0

Four different Knights opened their season accounts in Stockton.

Isaiah Vander Woude scored one of those goals and assisted three others. Collin McCain and Ben Miller had braces, and Drew Meester contributed a goal. Bear Creek was limited to two shots on goal, both handled by goalie Josh Crivello to secure the clean sheet.

GIRLS SOCCER

Ripon Christian 4, Beyer 1

Brooke Barnes book-ended Ripon Christian’s scoring in the non-league home win. She added an assist to her brace.

She got the Knights going with a third-minute goal set up by Tatun Sonke. Beyer knotted it soon after, but Ripon Christian took the lead for good in the first half, as Barnes sent a through ball to Alanna Blanco for the breakaway.

Addison DeJong had a hand in each of RC’s second-half tallies, scoring on a long-distance strike and then lofting a pass to Barnes for a headed goal.