Division IV Finals – Ribet Academy 60, Immanuel 49

SACRAMENTO – The Ribet Fighting Frogs assumed control in the fourth quarter and propelled themselves to a 60-49 victory over the Immanuel Eagles for the Division IV state championship on Saturday afternoon at the Golden One Center.

With the win, the Fighting Frogs finish the season at 27-3 and get their second state crown in two appearances. Immanuel ends the year at 26-9 in its first championship appearance ever.

The game had 16 lead changes through three quarters and Ribet held a 44-39 advantage going into the fourth. They would never trail again, closing out the game with a 16-10 run in the final frame.

“Everything came to fruition,” said Ribet head man Reggie Howard. “These guys have been special from day one.”

An impressive stat for the Fighting Frogs that was a real factor in the game was 16 steals to only 11 turnovers. And they caused Immanuel to commit 23 turnovers.

Immanuel coach Chris Woods felt that “execution on both sides [of the ball] was a big factor in the fourth quarter.” He added; “basketball is a game of runs and we didn’t have enough left to make any more runs.”

Ribet’s Howard is a first-year coach and was asked how you go from winning one game a year ago to winning a state championship. “We were able to go out and recruit some kids from all over the country. We were able to change things.” Ask a question get an answer…

Scoring Totals:

Ribet Academy (60): Tyler Powell 15, Snookey Wigington 19, Xavier Williams 4, Marcus Reedy 4, Yuuto Williams 4, Barrington Hargress 10, Ignacio Camacho 4

Immanuel (49): Jordan Rodriguez 10, Landon Yamada 2, Shawn Rodgers 14, Kaleb Daglish 10, Winston Williams 7, Amren Purewal 6