With fall sports officially over at RHS, it is time to transition to winter sports. One of the most popular winter sports at Ripon High is basketball. The boys basketball season had begun on Nov. 19, as they went up against Manteca High school in the annual foundation game. The result of the game will not show up on the record for either time, however it allows players to get the game experience they need after months of not playing in a legitimate basketball game. This game will be a good indicator for Ripon on what they need to improve on in the future, as they would go on to lose 40-48.
In the first half of the game, Ripon High struggled to generate a consistent offensive attack. Shooting was a major problem for the team, only shooting ten percent from the three point line, and turnovers continuously put the team behind schedule. The defense was able to hold strong though, forcing Manteca into errant shoots keeping Ripon High in the game.
Junior shooting guard Gino Calderara, said on the defensive performance,“They’re (Manteca) a lot bigger than us but we still handled ourselves. We only allowed them to score fifty points so that’s pretty good.”
Despite the impressive defensive performance, Ripon High was still behind by double digit points heading into the second half. Fouls would ensue for the team during the third quarter, while they still had the same difficulties as they did in the first half. Heading into the fourth quarter, Ripon was down by twelve points with a score of 26-38. However RHS would give one final push for the win in the fourth quarter as they began to play their best brand of basketball in the game. The team was fluent on the defensive side of the ball, forcing turnovers and being able to consistently score points against Manteca’s defense. Junior small forward Adrianus Vanderwerff, was a major part of the comeback attempt by Ripon, getting several major shots and turnovers to force the gap to four points halfway through the fourth quarter. Despite the improved performance of the team in the fourth quarter, they were unable to make a full comeback and would lose by a score of 40-48.
Vanderwerff said of the comeback attempt by the team, “It shows that we don’t give up. We might be tired but we can still push.”
Even though the result may not have been what fans were hoping for, it is important to remember that several of the players on the team had just gotten back from fall sports a few days earlier. To add to that, the team was able to show their grit and determination through their comeback attempt at the end of the game. So while there are things to clean for the team, there are many positives for this team and with enough time for the team to develop with one another throughout the season, the results are limitless.
