In a game that featured a full court heave from Ylli Lopez that swished through the net off the backboard for a three-pointer at the end of the third quarter, Riverbank took an overall 78-60 win against Trans-Valley League rival Ripon.

The shot, off a rebound, came as the buzzer sounded after three periods on Tuesday night, Jan. 14 and actually was the top rated clip on ESPN Sportscenter’s ‘Top 10’ recently.

It capped a 25-15 edge in that frame and helped Riverbank gain the upper hand in the contest. They outscored Ripon 23-15 in the first and 20-6 in the second, leading 43-21 at halftime. Ripon came back with a 24-point effort to Riverbank’s 10 in the final period, but the Bruins had enough of a lead to hold on.

“I was very happy with our defensive effort against Ripon,” said coach Jeff Jennings. “Our pressure created a lot of turnovers which we were able to turn into easy points.”

It was again a balanced attack for the Bruins, with 20 points from Reilly Nabors, 19 by Rolaun Dunham, 14 from Curtis Porter III and 10 from Lopez.

“Our depth and our balance has been a big key for us,” said Jennings. “We are averaging a little over 70 points a game which is a lot for a high school team. We have a lot of skilled players who all can dribble, pass and shoot and I think that makes us very dangerous.”

The Bruins are aiming to take the league title this season but will have to battle powerhouse Modesto Christian to get there. Jennings said his players have done all they can to prepare.

“These guys have put a tremendous amount of work in during the off-season and it’s paying off,” he said. “As far as MC goes they are very athletic and have a lot of size. The addition of their international players makes them even better, however we are looking forward to the challenge and we hope to give them their first TVL loss.”

The Bruins were slated to play MC on Tuesday, after The News went to press, and the Riverbank team travels to Hughson on Thursday, Jan. 23.