On Friday, Ripon Christian was within striking distance but couldn't close the gap as they fell 38-34 to Los Banos. While losing is never fun, Ripon Christian can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' California basketball rankings (they are ranked 648th, while Los Banos is ranked 175th).
Despite the loss, Ripon Christian had strong showings from Maddie Yonker, who scored 12 points along with seven rebounds and three steals, and Reagan Van der hoek, who scored 11 points along with eight rebounds. The game was Yonker's fifth in a row with at least ten points. Another player making a difference was Kara Kessler, who scored five points.
Ripon Christian's loss was their 11th straight on the road dating back to last season, which bumped their record down to 4-4. As for Los Banos, the victory (which was their fourth in a row) raised their record to 7-1.
Both squads will have to hit the road in their upcoming games. Ripon Christian will face off against Orestimba at 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday. Los Banos won't have much time to rest: their next match is against Patterson at 3:30 p.m. on December 16th. Patterson's defense has only allowed 29.6 points per game this season, so Los Banos' offense will have their work cut out for Los Banos.
