Playing this past week in the Ripon Tournament, the Escalon junior varsity basketball girls opened up with a 54-41 win. That game was on Tuesday, Dec. 28 and leading the way were Sammy Lang with 23 points, with Sofia Brasil, 12; and Brittany Gomez, 11, also in double figures.

Wednesday and Thursday, in the second and third rounds, the JV girls suffered their first two losses of the season, said head coach Sam Baez.

They fell to Lincoln on Dec. 29 and closed out the tournament with a loss to league rival Ripon Christian.

The loss to Lincoln, Baez said, was by 30-plus points while the RC game was closer, but still a tough loss at 41-32.

“We didn’t have everyone,” the coach said of losing some players to holiday events. But, she added, the team will be back to full strength this week as they begin Trans-Valley League play.