NEWMAN, Calif. – In two Trans-Valley League games last week, the Orestimba High boys basketball team continued its search for a league win.
But the Warriors will continue their search this week.
Here are the results of Orestimba’s games, starting with the most recent.
Escalon 65, Orestimba 38
Playing on the road for Friday’s contest, Orestimba (0-6 in the TVL, 5-15 overall) outscored Escalon by a 20-15 margin in the second quarter. But the host Cougars had a big first quarter, which led to a 43-24 halftime lead.
“The Escalon game started slow, but we really showed a lot of heart battling after the early deficit,” said Orestimba head coach Charles Kothenbeutel. “The energy was high all game from our players on the court and the fans as well.”
Devon Bell had 16 points in the game for the Warriors.
“We had a balanced attack behind him as six of our other seven players all scored in the game,” Kothenbeutel said. “We have been shorthanded in recent games, so to play with a high level of energy and intensity was encouraging.”
Ripon Christian 74, Orestimba 31
At home on Jan. 21, Bell had 17 points and Warrior teammate Matthew Wales had 12 points.
“The game was at the tempo we wanted but RC really hurt us on the offensive glass and on a few fast break opportunities that we couldn’t overcome,” Kothenbeutel said.
Kothenbeutel spoke highly of Bell, who “was great at taking the ball into the paint and finishing.”
Upcoming games
On Monday, Orestimba played its final non-league game of the season at Patterson.
Then the Warriors return to TVL action on Friday, hosting Sonora. The game is scheduled to start at 7 p.m.
On Tuesday, Feb. 4, Orestimba plays at Ripon. This game is at 7:30 p.m.
Mike Bush is a multimedia journalist who was born and raised in the Stanislaus and Merced County areas. Follow him on X/Twitter @MikeBMultimedia and Instagram @mikebushphotography.
