Vander Veen, Beidleman lead Ripon Christian to TVL boys hoops title

Jake Vander Veen says he has never seen anything like a Trans Valley League rivalry game.

The packed gyms with competing student sections make nearly every game feel like a postseason contest and make every possession feel magnified.

Luckily for Ripon Christian, Vander Veen plays his best when it’s needed most.

With a league championship on the line, the Knights traveled across the street to take on rival Ripon on its senior night and their sophomore guard came through. He scored a game-high 19 points, grabbed six rebounds and added three assists to lead the Knights to a 54-42 win. Ripon Christian (21-6, 11-1) captured its fourth straight outright TVL title.

He saw his share of big moments at Santa Monica High last season, knocking down a three pointer in a Southern Section Division 3AA playoff game against Calvary Chapel of Santa Ana, but the TVL brings its own flair.

“My old school was a great high school but the crowds didn’t come out like they do here,” he said. “It’s been amazing. All the support, and the rivalries, Ripon and Escalon have been great and I love it, it’s fun, we compete. They’ve all been close games and I’m just having a great time with this environment.”

Knights coach Mark Hofman told Vander Veen he didn’t want a good game from him. He needed his best game and that’s what he brought. He finished the first half with double figures in the scoring column, relentlessly attacking the rim with a flurry of crossovers, spins and contested makes.

Though he came from Southern California, he has ties to the area; his father was a standout at Ripon Christian who still is spoken highly of.

“He has brought legitimacy,” Hofman said of the team’s leading scorer. “He is a very skilled player. He’s highly intelligent. He’s a two way player. He plays defense, offense and he also makes everybody else better. Not all players do that but he does.

“He told me ‘I like the big games, coach.’”

While Vander Veen took on most of the offensive responsibilities, Jace Beidleman patrolled the paint, recording an ultra rare rebounds-blocks double-double, recording 14 boards and blocking 10 shots. He narrowly missed a triple double, scoring eight points.

“Jace dominates games. If you’re a basketball fan, you see it,” Hofman said. “When you get 14 rebounds, nine blocks, eight or 10 points, that’s huge. That’s pure dominance. But it’s not as overt as some of the other skills.”

Amos Cady added 12 points, Luke Crivello scored eight and Mason Tameling added seven.

Ripon’s (21-7, 10-2) season doesn’t end. It is still one of the top teams in Division IV and will likely have at least one home playoff game next week. Ripon finished with 10 league wins for the second time in three seasons. Senior Landon Gillespie scored a team-high 17 points.

Even more important than the league title, the Knights will be one of the top seeds in the Division V Sac-Joaquin Section playoffs where they look to defend their section title. Ripon Christian enters the postseason with a 10-game win streak.

“I think our team has really meshed, our chemistry is through the roof. I love it,” Vander Veen said. “I love my brothers and we’re only going to get closer from here. I feel like the sky’s the limit for our group.”

More boys basketball

Weston Ranch 73, Modesto Christian 61: A 22-8 first-quarter deficit was too much for the Crusaders to overcome in what could be a Division I section playoff matchup in a week and a half. Sharpshooter Mateen Rafiq and Richard Banks led the first half charge, but the Crusaders fought back to make it a two-point game with just under three minutes left. The Cougars ended the game with a 15-5 run.

Riverbank 65, Livingston 55: In other TVL action, Riverbank held off Livingston, claiming fourth place in the league Friday night. Riverbank will await the selection show Saturday to see if they did enough to earn a spot in the playoffs. The Bruins are 18-9 overall and 7-5 against TVL opponents.

Escalon 81, Hilmar 53: Ryan Murphy’s 15 points and 10 rebounds helped Escalon secure its 22nd win this season, the most in recent program history. The TVL’s third place team, Escalon will make its fourth straight section playoff appearance this season.

Patterson 47, Golden Valley 46: A Doug Avelar free throw gave Patterson the one-point advantage it needed to capture a share of the CCC crown for the first time since joining the league in 2018-19. The Tigers secured their first 20-plus win season since winning 22 games in 2017-18. That season, Patterson advanced to the section semifinals and earned a NorCal game.

Girls basketball

Escalon 61, Hilmar 23: Escalon joined Riverbank and Hughson atop the TVL standings with a win Friday night. All three teams earned playoff spots, finishing with 10-2 league records. All three teams split with each other during league play. Escalon finished an impressive 25-2 overall, earning the program’s most regular season wins in recent history.

Boys playoff soccer

Jesuit 2, Pitman 0: The top seeded Marauders controlled the Division I opening round match against the CCAL third place team, Pitman, Friday. The Pride’s season ends with a 9-11-5 record and qualified for the playoffs for the second straight season.

Pleasant Grove 2, Enochs 0: Enochs could not find the back of the net in its second playoff match in as many seasons. The Eagles finished second in the CCAL. The loss snaps a two-game winning streak for Enochs.

Central Valley 3, Franklin 1: Central Valley earned its 21st win this season in its first-round Division I postseason match against Franklin of Elk Grove. Neither team scored in the first half but early in the second, Gilbert Zamora scored first for the Hawks. Alexis Cervantes and Yahir Perez scored the final two goals for the only Stanislaus District boys soccer team that advanced to the second round.

McClatchy 4, Gregori 3: After going a perfect 10-0 in CCAL play, the Jaguars were named the No. 10 team in D-I. They traveled to seventh seed McClatchy where they gave the Lions a run, but ultimately fell by a goal. Gregori’s 15 wins this season are the most since the 2016-17 season when the Jaguars won 17 games and advanced to the Division II championship.

Esparto 2, Hilmar 1: No. 7 Hilmar traveled to second seeded Esparto for a first round Division VI matchup. Hilmar took a 1-0 lead into the half, but Esparto answered with a pair of second half goals to advance to the semifinals where it hosts No. 3 Bradshaw Christian.

Calaveras 1, Riverbank 1 F/PK: The No. 4 Bruins were the designated home team at Calaveras High Friday afternoon and played the No. 5 Red Hawks even through regulation and overtime. The two sides went to penalty kicks where Riverbank scored three times while Calaveras found the back of the net five times. Riverbank ends its season 11-11-5.

Delhi 5, Hughson 2: Hughson entered Friday’s Division V first round contest 6-1-1 in its last eight matches but could not overcome Delhi in overtime on the road in a matchup of the No. 3 and No. 6 schools. Delhi advances to play No. 7 Venture academy, which upset second seed Sonora.