Going 2-2 for the week, the Escalon JV basketball boys are now standing at 5-5 for their preseason.
They started off with a solid win at home, 59-35 over Amador on Dec. 12. Head coach Nate Bartelink said it was very satisfying to win the first game they were able to play in the newly remodeled gym.
Leading 26-20 at the half, the host JV Cougars pulled away with a 22-9 run in the third quarter.
“We got solid play from Brenden Holmes, he had 24 points and 14 of them were in the third quarter,” Bartelink said of the standout freshman.
Kaidence Trejo added 12 points and Austin Terra chipped in with five.
“We got a lot of contributions from everyone,” Bartelink added.
Then it was off to the Johansen Tournament for games Thursday through Saturday, starting off against Beyer.
“They are one of the best public school teams in the area,” said the coach. “We lost 60-40, they outscored us 20-8 in the first and against a team like that, you can’t give them a 20-point quarter.”
Beyer also was hitting from three-point range and that was tough for the JV boys to defend.
Dylan Ruiz had nine points in the loss, Jacob Walden added eight.
Friday against Elliot Christian out of Lodi, the Cougars fell by a 10-point margin, 56-46.
“They were the second best team we have faced,” Bartelink said.
Leading 21-14 after one quarter, the JV Cougars went cold in the second quarter and were outscored 17-2, putting them into a 31-23 hole.
“We kept battling but just fell short,” Bartelink said.
Three players were in double figures, paced by Ruiz with 12, Holmes and Trejo with 11 points apiece.
In the final game of the tournament, the JV boys got a victory over host school Johansen, 59-48.
Up 15-8 after one and leading it 32-17 at the half, Escalon then was outscored by Johansen in the third quarter, 23-9. That left them leading by just one, 41-40, heading into the final frame.
“They (Johansen) took a lead in the fourth but we withstood it, we finished real strong,” Bartelink explained. “They didn’t let Johansen’s run keep them from working hard and Kaden Christensen shut down their best player in that fourth quarter.”
Escalon outscored Johansen 18-8 in the final frame to secure the win.
“Dylan Ruiz had 15 points, Kaidence Trejo had 12 and Jacob Walden had a double double, he had 10 points and 11 rebounds, doing good work on the boards,” Bartelink noted.
With 10 points from Brenden Holmes, the JV squad had four players in double figures.
They were scheduled to play host to Summerville on Tuesday, Dec. 19 after The Times went to press and will face Argonaut at 5 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 20 in the old gym on the EHS campus.
FRESHMEN
Escalon’s youngest Cougar boys had another strong week on the court, winning three games and losing one.
They started off with a game on the home court against Amador on Tuesday, Dec. 12 and won that contest by a 49-25 final.
Demetrius Teixeira had 16 points and Logan Webster added 13.
“We got third in the Delhi tourney,” said head coach Dave Anderson.
The three day tourney, Thursday through Saturday, saw two wins and one loss for the squad.
“We beat Orestimba 57 to 43. Teixeira had 21 points and Ty Harris had 12,” Anderson said.
The boys then lost to Pacheco by a 55-39 final, Teixeira again leading the scoring with 13 points and Harris chipping in with eight.
“We beat Delhi 44 to 33. Well balanced scoring,” the coach added.
Teixeira was named to the All-Tournament Team. The freshmen ended the week at 8-2 and were scheduled to play Summerville on Tuesday, Dec. 19 after The Times went to press.
