Having to go on the road Wednesday, Jan. 7, it was a loss at Sonora for Escalon’s varsity basketball boys. They rebounded with a strong effort on the home court Friday, Jan. 9 to notch a Homecoming night victory over visiting Hilmar.
At Sonora, it was a 49-41 loss, as the Cougars were outscored in each quarter.
“Sonora is not an ideal opponent to start Trans-Valley League play and playing in their gym is tough. We started the game with some unforced turnovers and as the game progressed, missed a bunch of very makeable shots around the rim,” said varsity head coach Nate Bartelink. “Our three-point shooting kept us in the game, but our inability to make short range shots and free-throws proved to be too much to overcome.”
The Cougars shot just 5-for-24 from two-point range, said the coach, with all of those shots in the paint.
“Every time we needed a critical basket and had a good look, we seemed to miss it,” he said. “You hold a team under 50 points, and you expect to win. We need to be better offensively. We need to generate better shots, have better shot selection, and convert the good opportunities we do get.”
It was Escalon’s worst offensive performance of the season, although there were some individual highlights.
Jake Ferreira had 14 points, five rebounds, four steals, and four 3-pointers; Conner Jones added nine points, 11 rebounds and Logan Huebner had eight points, seven rebounds.
Friday night, the Cougars played a strong game against Hilmar, putting the Homecoming game in the books as a 69-49 win. Escalon took a big early lead, up 13-4 after one, and were up 27-19 at the half.
“Hilmar is much improved from last season. They just played defending champ, and league favorite Ripon Christian, and hung with them for most of the game,” noted Bartelink. “The Cougar Dome was full for Homecoming and the energy was electric. The varsity girls got the night started with a convincing win over Hilmar and we finished the night with a good bounce back performance after our tough loss earlier in the week.”
The host Cougars started the game on a 10-0 run.
“Hilmar settled in during the second quarter, but we methodically separated ourselves in the second half. We executed what we were trying to run on offense, converted our offensive opportunities, and played solid defense all night,” Bartelink said.
Senior Ben Ferreira had a career night, scoring 28 points on the evening he was crowned Homecoming King, and he converted multiple free throws awarded on technicals against Hilmar, hitting seven out of eight chances on those opportunities.
“He was automatic at the free throw line; a big reason why we were able to extend our second half lead. It was great seeing him play aggressively and looking to score,” the coach added of Ferreira. “It was a very gratifying performance for our squad. Everyone got to play on Homecoming, which is what you hope to see.
Ferreira had 28 points, seven rebounds, and hit nine of 10 free throws overall. Issac Petalio had another strong performance for his team, with 13 points, five rebounds and four steals; Jake Ferreira had 11 points and Logan Huebner once again put together a double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds.
The varsity ended the week 1-1 in TVL play and are 10-8 overall.
Their lone game this week is scheduled for Wednesday, Jan. 14 hosting Hughson, which will also be observed as Youth Basketball Night.
“Much like Hilmar, Hughson has improved. They have some weapons that we’ll have to contend with,” Bartelink said. “They just had Ripon Christian on the ropes. Hughson ended up losing in overtime, but were in position to win until RC made a buzzer beater 3-pointer to go to OT. We’ll have to play well to beat Hughson.”
JV/FRESHMEN
The JV boys started league play with a 56-25 road win at Sonora, said coach Dave Anderson. Benji Novetzke had 22 points, Rhodey Trimble added 10.
“We lost a close one to Hilmar, 68-64,” Anderson said. “We shot poorly from the free throw line, making only 15 of 32 free throws.”
Trevor Jansen scored 23 points to lead the JV boys; Novetzke had 18 points and Ian Trejo had 13.
Frosh head coach Brenden Holmes said his team “played hard both games” but fell short due to costly turnovers in their contests against Sonora and Hilmar.
