After a lengthy stretch with multiple games packed into each week, the Cougar basketball program finally got to slow down and take a collective breath. They also got a sweep of the Huskies on the hardwood, with wins for the freshmen, JV and varsity squads in their lone contest.
“This week we just had one game, Wednesday (Jan. 15) at Hughson, with a bye on Friday,” varsity head coach Nate Bartelink explained. “It was nice to slow down a bit as we’ve had at least three games per week since mid-December. We also took the varsity team bowling on Monday night (Jan. 13) for our annual team bonding outing. We had a great time.”
For the varsity, they earned a 57-39 win over Hughson, taking a 14-5 lead with a strong first quarter.
The Cougars also put 14 points on the board in the second quarter, staking themselves to a 28-15 lead. The solid shooting continued with a 20-11 edge for the Cougars in the third. Hughson was a few points better, 13-9, than Escalon in the fourth but the Cougars had the victory well in hand.
“Our defense was great all game. As a coaching staff, we were happy with how the team followed the defensive gameplan. We collectively held Hughson’s best two players in check, well under their scoring averages, highlighted by Daniel Gonzalez, Jake Ferreira, Logan Huebner, Ben Ferreira, and Elijah Carr playing great individual defense,” Bartelink said. “It was nice to see Ben Ferreira knocking down shots from the outside; until his second half eruption he was still trying to find his shooting rhythm as this was only his third game back from injury. We’ll need him to continue to do more of the same great shooting moving forward.”
Ben Ferreira paced the Cougars with 14 points, including four 3-pointers. Daniel Gonzalez had 12 points and eight rebounds; Logan Huebner had 10 points, seven rebounds, and four steals with Ryan Murphy adding six points on the night.
“Daniel Gonzalez continues to play well, impacting the game in a lot of ways,” added Bartelink. “This was our third win in a row. Hopefully we can continue to get better and keep the momentum going against tougher opponents.”
At the lower levels in the Jan. 15 contest at Hughson, the freshmen were 49-30 winners to pick up their fourth consecutive victory and the JV defeated Hughson by a 64-38 decision.
The freshmen currently are 3-0 in league play and 10-9 overall. The JV boys are also 3-0 in league action, 13-6 overall. The varsity boys are 12-7 overall and are 2-1 in league play, currently ranked at number nine in the CIF SJS D4 rankings.
“Another busy week this week, with three games, two of them against the Ripon schools. Without question, this is our biggest week of the season so far,” Bartelink said.
The schedule had them hosting Ripon Christian on Tuesday, after The Times went to press, and the Knights came in as the three-time defending TVL champs, ranked number four in the division.
On Thursday, Jan. 23 the boys travel to Ripon, which stood at 3-0 after beating RC on Friday night.
“Those two games are going to be massive tests for us, but we’re looking forward to the opportunity,” Bartelink said. “Friday night we host Orestimba on our annual Youth Basketball Night. I hope the gym is filled with local kids, future Cougars!”
Kids will have the chance to get in to that Friday night, Jan. 24 boys basketball game for free. The Youth Basketball Night is hosted by the boys basketball program and is open to all Escalon Unified students, kindergarten through eighth grade. Those wearing their youth basketball jerseys from El Portal, Escalon Elite, or Escalon Rec will receive free admission. The freshmen game will begin at 4 p.m., with the JV game at 5:30 p.m. and varsity closing out the triple header against Orestimba with a 7 p.m. tip off.
For more information on the Youth Basketball Night, contact varsity head coach Nate Bartelink at nbartelink@escalonusd.org
