Memorable and a fitting, poetic sweep of a Trans-Valley League opponent.
“A Cougar sweep is always great, but against Ripon is even better,” Escalon varsity boys basketball head coach Nate Bartelink said.
On Wednesday, Feb. 12, on a night that included recognition of the 2004-05 Section title winning varsity basketball team, the Cougars put a trio of wins on the books. The freshman, JV and varsity squads all won, the varsity capping off the sweep over the same opponent – Ripon – that the 20-year anniversary team defeated at Arco Arena in 2005.
The varsity took a 58-47 win off the court, opening up with a 20-7 first quarter run and leading it 33-19 at the half.
“We played really well for the full four quarters in a game we needed to. We haven’t been able to play a complete four quarter game against good teams all season. That is something we’ll need to do as we move into the playoffs,” Bartelink explained. “We came out with a ton of energy, sharing the ball and shooting at a high level. Our first quarter was one of our better quarters of the season on both ends of the court. We made seven three-pointers in the first half which was huge. We were able to maintain our double-digit lead throughout the rest of the game to hold off Ripon’s comeback attempts. As coaches, we were very proud of the team; especially happy for the seniors that were able to beat Ripon before their playing careers ended.”
Senior Daniel Gonzalez couldn’t have been happier to nail down the victory at home.
“It’s huge, we lost like the last five games against them, we lost to them in playoffs in a horrible fashion, it’s nice to get this one back, nice to win this one for the guys who won Sections,” Gonzalez said.
Junior Donovan Martinez hit some buckets to contribute to the win as well.
“I think it’s a good momentum shift, beating Ripon,” he said. “In that first quarter, we just could not miss and that carried our momentum through the rest of the game and it honestly was very nice to get a Cougar sweep.”
He did admit to the heartbeat getting a little quicker when Ripon cut the lead to single digits at one point in the fourth quarter but said the Cougars kept their heads, hit some free throws and got the win. The junior also said with the momentum carrying over into Friday’s road game against Orestimba, he feels the Cougars are poised to “make a good run” in the playoffs.
Logan Huebner had 16 points, 11 rebounds, and five assists against Ripon, a big double-double for the varsity. Gonzalez also had 16 points, to go along with four rebounds and three steals. Ben Ferreira had nine points, five assists; Jacob Augusto added eight points and Martinez scored five points.
Against Ripon, the JV boys got what seemed to be a ‘double’ buzzer beater to take the win.
“It was a 33-31 win on a buzzer beater by Ryan Huebner. It was a heads up play by him. The shot clock buzzer sounded as his teammate’s shot bounced off the rim, causing confusion by most players, and even the officials, it seemed. Alertly, Ryan grabbed the rebound, as there were still a couple seconds left on the game clock, and put up another shot to win the game,” Bartelink said.
The freshmen started off the night with a solid 50-40 victory over the visiting Indians.
“Prior to the Varsity game we were able to honor and celebrate the 20-year anniversary of the last team from our program to win a CIF SJS section title. Twelve of the 14 players attended the ceremony, along with Coach (Mike) Backovich’s wife Teresa. It was great being able to see them all together again, reliving some of those unbelievable memories,” said Bartelink. “It was a special night in the Cougar Dome! To make the night even more memorable, we were able to get it done on the court and beat Ripon; the same school the 2005 team beat at Arco Arena in Sacramento 20 years ago to claim the blue banner.”
Friday, Feb. 14 on the road at Orestimba, the varsity capped off the regular season with a 64-48 win. They trailed after one quarter, 10-8, but then went on a 21-7 run in the second to lead it 29-17 at the half.
“Playing in Orestimba’s gym is never easy. The acoustics are weird; making for a really loud game. They’ve been playing better basketball in the second half of league as well. After a kind of slow first quarter, we had a great second quarter and were able to take control and were able to pull away even more as the game progressed,” said Bartelink. “It was a good end to our regular season; every player was able to get some playing time.”
Gonzalez had a tremendous road game with 17 points, seven rebounds; Ben Ferreira had nine points, six rebounds, six assists, and three steals.
Huebner was all over the stat sheet again as well, with three points, six rebounds, four assists, and five steals.
Freshman Jake Ferreira added 12 points; Augusto had seven points, four rebounds with Martinez chipping in with six points.
“Jacob Augusto and Donovan Martinez had a great week. It was very gratifying seeing them be so productive. Jacob always works so hard and I was happy he was able to perform so well in both our wins. Donovan has been patiently waiting as a new varsity player, and things have started to click recently for him. He had been practicing really well, and his strong play translated to very productive game minutes. It’s a credit to both of them for staying ready and seizing the moment,” Bartelink explained. “Daniel Gonzalez had an awesome week as well. Knowing his playing career is nearing its end, he’s been playing pretty inspired basketball. I’m proud of the player he has turned himself into. He’s been a huge factor in our success.”
The JV team clinched a share of the TVL title with a 57-40 win over the Warriors on Friday and the freshmen put a 52-37 win on the books.
The freshmen had a final record of 16-12 overall, 9-3 in TVL play.
“A great season from these boys; they all improved a ton,” said Bartelink. “Coach (Brenden) Holmes, in his first year as a coach, did a really good job with these boys passing along his knowledge from his time as a top-notch player in our program only a short few years ago. With three freshmen playing either JV or Varsity, a lot of players on this team gained valuable experience that will benefit them the next three years.”
The JV boys were 21-7 overall; 11-1 in TVL; TVL co-champions, tied with Ripon Christian, as they each beat each other one time.
“It was such an incredible season for this group. They have such a bright future in this program. Their success was built on their defense, which will serve our varsity team well the next two years,” noted Bartelink. “Coach Dave Anderson, Coach Rolly Trejo, and Coach Jack Anderson pushed all the right buttons all season, and hit their stride during TVL play. Adding Jack Anderson to the coaching staff has been a huge plus. The knowledge he has from his very successful playing career that he was able to pass along to the players was instrumental to their success.”
For the Varsity squad, they went 17-11 overall; 7-5 in TVL and ended the season at number 10 in the CIF SJS D4 rankings.
“We were given the number 11 seed in the CIF D4 playoffs as they had to move the seeds around a bit to avoid league match-ups in the first round,” the coach said.
That puts Escalon on the road for a first-round game, Wednesday, Feb. 19 at number six seed Colfax with a 7 p.m. tip off.
“We’re looking forward to the opportunity we have in front of us,” Bartelink said. “We’ve been playing good basketball the last couple games. Our identity has changed a bit and we seem to be better for it. We’re playing with more pace and shooting the ball much better. We want to keep this thing going as long as possible.”
