Basketball Recap: Ripon Takes a Tough Playoff Loss

It's hard to turn regular season success into postseason wins, a fact Ripon can now relate to. They lost to the Liberty Ranch Hawks on the road by a 54-36 margin on Thursday. While losing is never fun, the Indians can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' California basketball rankings (they are ranked 457th, while the Hawks are ranked 188th).

Ripon's loss came despite a true team effort with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Kaylee Lehmkuhl, who posted 13 points and three steals. What's more, Lehmkuhl posted four boards, the most she's had since back in December of 2024. The team also got some help courtesy of Leila Sanchez, who earned nine points.

It was another big night for Haley Smith, who went 9-for-16 to rack up 23 points and six rebounds for Liberty Ranch. The contest was Smith's sixth in a row with at least 19 points. Another player making a difference was Kendall Duryee, who went 5-for-9 en route to 12 points and seven boards.

Ripon's defeat dropped their record down to 19-11. As for Liberty Ranch, they pushed their record up to 27-2 with the victory, which was their 13th straight at home.

Ripon does not have any more games scheduled as of now. As for Liberty Ranch, they will take on West Campus at 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday. West Campus will roll in looking for their 18th straight win, something Liberty Ranch surely won't give up without a fight.