Though they stayed competitive, the Riverbank varsity basketball boys just couldn’t quite find enough firepower to get past their Mother Lode League opponents in their most recent contests.

The varsity squad took a pair of losses, hosting Bret Harte on Jan. 27 and falling by just a bucket, 61-59, on the home court. They traveled to take on Calaveras on Friday, Jan. 30 and found themselves down to the Red Hawks at the final buzzer by a 60-50 final.

The boys ended the week with a 10-11 record overall and sit fourth in the Mother Lode with a 2-4 record. They were scheduled to host Summerville on Feb. 3 and will host Linden as part of the Winter Homecoming festivities on Friday, Feb 6 with a 7:15 p.m. tip off time.

The JV boys fell at Calaveras on Jan. 29 by a 57-21 decision. They were outscored 36-8 over the second and third quarters in the road game. Riverbank’s freshmen fought at Calaveras but fell by a tight 32-29 final score.

GIRLS BASKETBALL

The Lady Bruins were on the road for both their games this week, at Bret Harte on Jan. 27 and playing prior to the varsity boys game at Calaveras on Friday.

They fell by a 64-40 decision to Bret Harte; senior Leilani Olanolan paced the team with 13 points. Mia Fuentes added seven points on the night.

Head coach Janelle Luu said the team was able to shake that off and get back in the win column, grinding out a victory over Calaveras, edging out their opponent 48-46.

“We started the game off slow, being outscored 20-8 in the first quarter. But we tightened up our game and outscored Calaveras in the following three quarters,” explained Luu. “The Bruins were led by senior Leilani Olanolan with 26 points.”

It was a little redemption, as Riverbank lost to Calaveras the first time around.

“We let a close one against Calaveras slip away in the league opener. This time, we started off a little frantic. We missed some wide-open layups, and made some wild passes. But once the girls settled into the game, and took some momentum back, the game started to even out,” the coach said. “We ended the third quarter with a little run that sparked a good start to the fourth. It was a great battle.”

The girls were scheduled to travel to face off with Summerville on Feb. 3 and will play at 6 p.m. Friday night as part of Homecoming.

The JV girls took a pair of losses, defeated by Bret Harte, 36-19, and losing to Calaveras, 43-22.

BOYS SOCCER

Two games turned in to two losses for the varsity soccer boys this past week.

“We played against Calaveras High School on Tuesday where we battled to a 2-1 loss. We had beaten them the first time around 2-1 and we knew it was going to be a close game,” said head coach Juan Harvey. “They came out with a lot of energy and scored early. From there it was a back-and-forth battle, until midway through the second half we found a goal off a corner kick from Miguel Reyes. It was looking like it would end in a 1-1 tie until they scored the game winner with about three minutes left.”

Thursday night, the team traveled to Bret Harte to face the Bullfrogs on their Senior Night and lost 3-0.

“The Senior Night festivities took us out of our normal routine and we got off to a slow start. The energy was kind of flat all night,” admitted Harvey. “The two losses have now left us in a tie for third place in league with Bret Harte.”

GIRLS SOCCER

Tuesday, Jan. 27, it was a long trip to Calaveras for the varsity soccer girls.

“We started off playing really well, we had to go back to Calaveras for the second time this league season, so we knew it would be a tough match after the first time meeting them,” said coach Javier Luna. “At halftime the score was 0-0 and I felt we were in control of the game; our shots just didn’t fall.”

The teams battled and the coach said it seemed as if the Lady Bruins still had control, until the first goal went in for the host Lady Red Hawks.

“ After the first one, they gained momentum and we became a little flat footed. Ended up losing 6-0, but we decided to take the positives out of the first about 50 minutes of that game going into Thursday’s game,” Luna said.

They welcomed Bret Harte to town for the Jan. 29 contest.

“After Tuesday’s tough result, we needed to bounce back and get back on track, but I knew it would be a lot easier said than done against Bret Harte. They are a team that’s pretty hard to break through,” Luna explained. “The first time we met them this season, we won on a goal in the final minute of the game, so I wanted us to avoid putting that much pressure on ourselves. However, it was a similar game.”

Riverbank controlled possession of the ball for the majority of the match and outshot Bret Harte 26-8, with 13 shots being on target.

“In the first minute of the second half, Emmah Montes took a shot to give us the 1-0 lead. Bret Harte answered back a few minutes later and the pressure was back on us,” said Luna. “In the final minute of the game, Raquel Jimenez and Emmah combined for a last chance effort. Raquel got a pass from the wing from Emmah and hit a left footed shot to give us the 2-1 lead. I’m very proud of this team and the resilience they showed this past week and throughout the season.”

The coach said the girls came back ready to play after their tough loss and continued “to fight until the final whistle” on Thursday. Montes, as one of the team captains, has now reached the 20-goal, 10-assist mark for the season.

It was also a satisfying victory for Jimenez, he said.

“Against Bret Harte, Raquel scored the game winner on her 18th birthday so it was a special moment for her,” Luna said of the senior.

The girls were slated to play at Summerville on Feb. 3 and will be home to host Linden in the regular season finale on Feb 5.

Editor Marg Jackson contributed to this report.