There was plenty of excitement on the basketball court for Escalon athletes this past week, as the varsity girls won the Trans-Valley League title outright and the varsity boys handed Ripon Christian their first league loss of the season.
Following is a recap of the contests.
BOYS BASKETBALL
What a difference a week makes. That, according to varsity head coach Nate Bartelink.
Two weeks ago, he said, may have been the low point of their season, but the varsity boys regrouped and came back strong.
“Our guys stuck together and put together a great week, with two really good wins, culminating in our greatest moment of the season so far,” said Nate Bartelink, as the Cougars defeated Hughson and Ripon Christian.
Tuesday, Feb. 3, the varsity boys were at Hughson and came away with a 69-34 victory. They outscored Hughson in every quarter, including a 22-9 run in the third after leading 31-15 at the half.
“We had our best performance of the season last time we played Hughson, beating them by 49. Given Hughson’s place in the standings, I thought this was a must-win for them; I figured they’d come out and things would be more difficult this time, but we had our way again,” Bartelink explained. “I thought we had a good game plan both games against Hughson, and the players executed it once again. Hughson has a really good shooter, and Jake Ferreira and his teammates shut him down. We played well offensively, with good scoring balance; four players scored in double figures. It was a strong performance in a typically difficult gym to play in.”
Logan Huebner had 22 points, five rebounds, and eight assists to lead the Cougars, while Conner Jones had 12 points, six rebounds and six blocks. Jake Ferreira had 12 points, Issac Petalio had 10 points, Donovan Martinez added nine on the night.
Friday, Feb. 6, the boys were home to host the Ripon Christian Knights and put together a game to remember, said Bartelink.
“Ripon Christian came into this game as the defending five-time Trans-Valley League champion, 9-0 in league this season, and having won 18 straight TVL games dating back to last season,” the coach pointed out. “We have struggled this season with consistency and putting together four quarters against the good teams on our schedule. That was not the case Friday night. We came out with focus, energy and execution. Our defense was really strong the entire night, holding RC to their season low in points.
Final was 61-45 in Escalon’s favor, and the host Cougars had an 18-16 lead after one, extending it to 34-26 at the half. The teams traded points in the third quarter, 11-11, but a 16-8 run by Escalon in the fourth helped seal the victory.
“Our fourth quarter defense was elite. We were also really very efficient on offense, with a season low seven turnovers, converted our opportunities, and hit timely shots. Multiple guys made big play after big play. I couldn’t be prouder of the entire team for their performance; everyone contributed to this win.”
Escalon improved to 6-4 in league play with the crucial win.
“This shows what our group is capable of if we put it together. I was especially happy for our seniors, to be able to experience this type of win,” Bartelink said. “It was one of those performances that I’ll remember for a long time. Hopefully we can bottle up that performance and replicate it as the playoffs get started soon.”
Conner Jones poured in 15 points and pulled down seven rebounds, and Ben Ferreira had 15 points as well. Jake Ferreira had 14 points and four assists, and Donovan Martinez had seven points.
It was also a memorable night for senior Logan Huebner.
“On Logan’s first quarter basket against Ripon Christian, he became the newest member of our program’s 1,000 varsity point club. Eclipsing the 1,000-point milestone is a special achievement; one that cements Logan as one of our program’s great players,” Bartelink noted. “Logan joins elite company as he is only the fourth player in our program since 2005 to score 1,000 points. He could’ve hit that mark the previous game at Hughson, but he chose to wait until Friday, at home, where he could do it in front of a bunch of family and friends. Scoring that many career points is amazing, but to add to his accomplishment, Logan has more combined rebounds, assists and steals than the other players in our program that have reached the 1,000-point mark, demonstrating how much he impacts the game across various areas. He is a competitor and leader; as good of a player as he has been, he’s an even better person.”
The varsity Cougars are now 15-11 overall and ranked at number 10 in the most recent MaxPreps CIF SJS Division IV rankings.
Wednesday, Feb. 11, they are scheduled to travel to Ripon and close out league play on Friday, Feb. 13 against Orestimba with Senior Night.
“We look forward to honoring our five seniors and their families for their commitment and contributions to our program the last four years; Ben Ferreira, Logan Huebner, Donovan Martinez, Aydun Melo, Issac Petalio,” said Bartelink.
JV/FRESHMEN
Escalon’s JV boys split their games on the hardwood this past week. They came away with a 59-55 win in overtime on the road at Hughson, but lost a close one to Ripon Christian at home. Tuesday, Ian Trejo had 17 points and played strong defense for the JV team, said coach Dave Anderson.
“Trevor Jansen had 18 points with a buzzer beater to send us to OT,” Anderson added. “He made three of four free throws to ice the game in overtime.”
Against RC, it was the same score as the Hughson game – 59-55 – but this time, Escalon was on the losing end.
“Really hard-fought team effort, just came up a little short,” Anderson said.
Benji Novetzke had 18 points, Jansen added 15 and Rhodey Trimble had 13 points on the night.
“Proud of all the guys for the effort,” said the coach.
The JV boys ended the week at 16-10 overall, 7-3 in league with two TVL games to go.
For the freshmen, it was a couple of games that didn’t go their way.
“Two tough losses to Hughson and RC, hard fought battles but they beat us by double digits each game,” said coach Brenden Holmes. “Jackson Degruy had a good game against RC having 20 points, nine rebounds and four blocks.”
GIRLS BASKETBALL
The varsity Lady Cougars entered the week undefeated in league play and after winning two more, they were able to capture the TVL title outright.
“Tuesday (Feb. 3) we hosted Hughson. They’re at the bottom of the league, but they have a veteran coach and always play hard,” said Escalon coach Joseph Dalpogetti. “We also know that as the only undefeated team in league, we have a target on our back and we are going to be treated as everyone’s Super Bowl. I felt like we got Hughson’s best effort.”
Escalon had a 12-6 lead after the first quarter and 23-10 at the half.
“We outscored them 12-3 in the third to open the game up a bit, 35-13, and ended up winning 42-16,” the coach said.
That gave Escalon a three-game lead in league with three to play, clinching a share of the title.
Ari Velasco had 15 points on the night and Ayana Cocio had 11 points, including three treys. Avery Bartelink was in double figures with 12 points.
“Friday, we headed to RC to take on the Knights, who had been playing well and were fresh off a win over crosstown rivals Ripon High the night before, so we knew they would be riding high,” Dalpogetti said. “They opened up in triangle and two which we always prep for, but since Made (Babasa) is out, I didn’t think we would see it. So, they just shifted the focus of the defense to Ayana and Ari. Even when they went 2-3 zone they always shaded toward Ari.”
The low scoring game saw Escalon came out on top with a 29-23 victory.
Escalon went up 11-0 in the first and then hit a cold spell, leading just 18-8 at halftime.
“I was upset at halftime, not just at the 18 points, but all eight of theirs came off of mistakes,” the coach said, with a foul on a three-point shooter and then leaving their best shooter open.
Escalon got outscored 11-6 in the third to lead by just a 24-19 edge headed into the final frame. They scored five points to Ripon Christian’s three in the fourth to win.
“Ari battled second half foul trouble and ended up fouling out with two minutes left in the game,” said Dalpogetti. “We are glad that week is over.”
Velasco had 11 points against RC, Cocio and Carli Jones each had six and the win cemented the league title for the Lady Cougars.
They were scheduled to honor their senior girls – Madison Babasa and Ayana Cocio – prior to the Tuesday, Feb. 10 game, and then finish league on Thursday, Feb. 12 at Orestimba.
They are currently the number four seed in Division IV with a 21-5 overall record, 10-0 in TVL play.
The JV girls battled hard in their game against Ripon Christian this past week but fell short in a 26-19 final.
Editor Marg Jackson contributed to this report.
