Basketball Recap: Valley Christian Comes Up Short

Valley Christian and Riverbank squared off in some playoff action on Thursday, but Valley Christian had to settle for second. They took a 72-61 hit to the loss column at the hands of the Riverbank Bruins. The Lions were given a dose of their own medicine in this game as the Bruins apparently hadn't forgotten their defeat the last time these teams played back in December of 2016.

Gabby Jackson-Brown

Points

02/20/25 vs Riverbank	25
02/18/25 vs Escalon	27
02/13/25 vs Western Sierra Collegiate Academy	18

When it comes to explaining why Valley Christian lost, don't look at Gabby Jackson-Brown. Despite the final result, she posted 25 points. The matchup was Jackson-Brown's third in a row with at least 18 points. Another player making a difference was Janet Donkor, who scored 14 points.

Riverbank's win was the result of several impressive offensive performances. One of the most notable came from Leilani Olanolan, who put up 27 points in addition to eight assists and five boards. Olanolan is also crushing it when it comes to steals: she's grabbed at least two every time she's taken the court this season. Taylor Macias was another key player, going 10-for-24 to rack up 25 points and three steals.

Valley Christian's loss dropped their record down to 19-6. As for Riverbank, they have been performing incredibly well recently as they've won 12 of their last 13 contests. That's provided a nice bump to their 24-4 record this season.

Valley Christian does not have any more games scheduled as of now. As for Riverbank, they will face off against Marysville at 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday. Each of these teams will be fighting to keep a win streak alive as Marysville comes in on five and Riverbank on three.