In a hectic week just prior to the holiday break from school, Escalon’s basketball boys took the court for home games four times over the course of five days. The three squads, varsity, JV and freshmen, put together a combined 8-4 record in the 12 games. The varsity and JV boys each went 3-1 while the frosh boys were 2-2.
“Very busy week for our program. Four home games in five days,” varsity head coach Nate Bartelink said, pleased with the solid play from the squads. “It was nice having them all at home, with it being finals week.”
Tuesday, Dec. 17 vs. Liberty Ranch
For the varsity boys, they earned a 53-47 victory, battled back from an early deficit, as they trailed 18-12 after one quarter but took a 25-23 lead into the locker room at halftime.
“We were without one of our key players, Elijah Carr due to illness, but other guys got it done. It was a pretty close game throughout, but our strong defensive fourth quarter was the difference,” Bartelink explained. “Sophomore Conner Jones had a strong game, has been really productive of late, and is becoming more comfortable at the varsity level. He’s going to continue getting better and help us a lot.”
Leaders in the contest for the varsity boys were Logan Huebner, 13 points, six rebounds and six assists; Conner Jones, 11 points, six rebounds; Ryan Lewis, eight points, seven rebounds; Daniel Gonzalez, seven points and eight rebounds; Jacob Augusto, five points.
The JV team crafted a 67-56 win over Liberty Ranch and the freshmen were 56-48 winners.
Wednesday, Dec. 18 vs. Atwater
The visitors came in to the Cougar Dome and got a sweep, besting all three Escalon squads.
The varsity Cougar boys had the lead at halftime but could not keep pace as Atwater slowly took control in the third and then ran away from Escalon with a 22-7 scoring edge in the fourth quarter. The final was 54-48; Escalon had a 16-9 lead after one and held a double-digit advantage, 31-20, at the break but could not hold off the determined Atwater team.
“Atwater came in playing really good basketball, ranked number seven in Division 1 in our section, with a 9-1 record. On film, and after seeing them in person, they didn’t have any weaknesses,” said Bartelink. “Our guys rose to the occasion and played great basketball for three quarters. Unfortunately, basketball is a four quarter game. We turned the ball over nine times in the fourth quarter and couldn’t get many stops down the stretch.”
Lewis put in 20 points on the night to lead the varsity Cougar effort and Ryan Murphy added 11. Huebner had six points and seven rebounds.
“It was a disappointing end to a game in which we played pretty well. Even though we lost a game that we were in position to win, against a really good team, we now knew we could play and compete with anyone on our schedule,” the coach added. “The lesson learned is consistency from game to game, possession to possession, regardless of opponent, and putting together a complete game against the best competition. I was proud of how the boys competed.”
In the JV contest, the Escalon boys fall 66-51. The freshmen lost by a 58-43 final to Atwater.
Friday, Dec. 20 vs. River Islands
It took double overtime, but the varsity Cougars got the victory as they hosted the Riptide, putting a 77-72 win on the books.
And despite getting the win, things didn’t start out all that well for the home team.
“Our defense has been pretty strong all season, but it didn’t show up on this particular night, especially in the second quarter where we gave up 30 points,” Bartelink said. “River Islands was hot from behind the arc throughout the game, making 11, compared with our one three-point make. That 30-point difference kept River Islands in the game and with a lead throughout.”
The visitors had a 36-28 lead at halftime; the Riptide still were up after three, 52-45. But Escalon turned the tables with a strong fourth quarter, outscoring the visitors 18-11 to get to the OT period, knotted at 63.
“Our guys continued to battle and relied on our advantage inside. Our size advantage was significant, where we dominated the boards, and points in the paint, 60-16,” explained Bartelink. “We were trailing 60-55 with about 1:20 left in the fourth quarter, but due to some heroic effort plays by Ryan Lewis, Logan Huebner, Danny Gonzalez, Ryan Murphy and Donovan Martinez, we were able to produce a five-point possession, all five points by Ryan Lewis to tie the game with 30 seconds remaining.”
In the first OT, the teams traded points, 7-7, but Escalon was able to dominate the second overtime period, 7-2, nailing down the 77-72 win in what was their fourth overtime contest already this preseason.
“I’m starting to refer to this group as the “Cardiac Cougars” – I’m not sure how many more of these close games I can take,” Bartelink admitted. “Ryan Lewis was an absolute monster with his varsity career high double-double. Ryan Murphy also had a strong game, also with a double-double. We just kept feeding the ball to both of the Ryans and River Islands had no answer.”
Lewis poured in 31 points and pulled down 17 rebounds on the night while Murphy had 19 points and 13 rebounds. Huebner was in double figures in scoring with 12 points and had eight rebounds. Gonzalez had seven points and six rebounds.
“Donovan Martinez had good, productive minutes for us throughout. I was proud of him for staying ready until his number was called,” added the coach. “It was a tremendous team effort. Another example of the grit this team has, and their will to win, under difficult circumstances.”
Against River Islands, the JV boys were winners while the freshmen battled to a tough loss.
Saturday, Dec. 21 vs. Ceres
As they did to open up the week, the Cougar boys got a sweep to close out the hectic pre-holiday schedule, hosting the Ceres Bulldogs and all three teams earning victories.
It was a 50-38 win for the varsity boys, outscoring the visitors in every quarter.
Leading 11-7 after one, the varsity boys were up 21-15 at the half. They continued to be a few points better than the visitors over the third and fourth quarters to seal the victory, with a 17-13 scoring edge in the third, 12-10 in the fourth.
“It was kind of a tough game offensively, as in the first half we were missing some very makeable shots right at the rim. Our defense carried us in this game. Logan, Ryan Lewis and Danny did a great job limiting Ceres’ best player’s touches, and holding him well below his season average,” Bartelink pointed out. “We missed nine free throws in the fourth quarter to keep the lead from extending to a more comfortable number.”
The ‘Ryans’ were again a major factor for the varsity squad, with 15 points and nine rebounds from Ryan Lewis, 14 points and eight rebounds from Ryan Murphy. Huebner put together a nine point, 11 rebound night and Gonzalez and Jones each chipped in with six points.
“Our frontline continues to be very productive. Our size and strength is our identity, and will be carrying us on their broad shoulders all season long,” said Bartelink. “If we can find a way to get some consistent offensive production from our backcourt, we’ll have a bit more balance, and be that much better.”
A solid 15-point win went on the books for the JV boys, 64-49, over Ceres and the freshmen also had a successful night, taking a 48-34 victory.
“It feels good getting three wins on the week. Our goal is to continue to stack days; good practices and solid performances during games,” Bartelink summarized. “TVL play is right around the corner.”
The varsity and JV teams stand at 7-3 so far for the season, the freshmen are 4-6.
“We’re a few possessions away from being 10-0, but also a couple other possessions away from being 5-5,” Bartelink said of the varsity boys. “Our margin for error is slim. We need to figure out how to play better down the stretch in close games; learn how to finish games better.”
All three levels are scheduled to play in tournaments Dec. 26 through 28; the varsity and JV will be at the Oakdale Rotary Tournament, while the freshmen will be hosting the 12th Annual Escalon Cougar Christmas Classic.
The freshmen open up play, 6:30 p.m. at home on Thursday, Dec. 26 against Johansen. The JV takes on host Oakdale in a 1:30 p.m. game Thursday, and the varsity faces off against host Oakdale in the late game on Thursday, 8:30 p.m.
