There were times Tuesday night, Jan. 14 when Ripon showed it could compete with once-beaten Riverbank.

There were even moments that it proved capable of beating the Lady Bruins.

But that didn’t happen in the end, as the host Lady Indians instead suffered their eighth defeat in nine games, 50-42, falling to the high-flying Riverbank squad.

“Ripon beat MC last year and tied for the TVL, so I was expecting a good game – they always give us a good game,” Riverbank point guard Olivia Luu said. “Ripon is such a great team and they have a great coach. They came to play today, especially at home.”

Luu led Riverbank with 19 points and six rebounds, and her sister Janelle Luu added 13 points and nine rebounds. Chloe Arnold contributed nine points and seven boards, Lilly Garcia had eight points, five rebounds and four assists.

Ripon outscored Riverbank 14-13 in the first but the lady Bruins went on a run and took a slim 24-19 lead at the half.

It was a battle in the third, with the Indians getting to within a bucket by the end of the quarter, but the Lady Bruins stayed calm and kept the home team at bay in the fourth, walking off with the victory and improving to 16-1 overall.

The Bruins iced it from the free-throw line, making their final eight attempts in the final minute. They finished 13 of 19 from the stripe, while Ripon made 13 of 22.

It was the only game on the schedule for Riverbank during the week, as they had a Thursday bye. They were scheduled to face off with Modesto Christian on Tuesday, after The News went to press, and will be in action on the home court Thursday night for a game with Hughson.

The JV girls had trouble scoring in Ripon and lost a 47-6 decision.

Manteca Bulletin reporter Jonamar Jacinto contributed to this report.