RIVERSIDE — The Ramona boys basketball program has experienced quite the renaissance with Eric Tabatabai at the helm. Ramona posted a 8-20 record and finished tied for last place in the River Valley League standings during the 2023-24 season. “When I started talking about coming here, people kep t asking me, ‘Are you sure?’” Tabatabai said. “When I got here, I wanted players who would work hard. I knew it wouldn’t be easy, but after seeing the kids the first day I knew we had something here.” Ramona played for a CIF Southern Section championship in Tabatabai’s first season in charge. And Monday evening, the Rams, led by senior guard Garrett Pickens and junior forward Cary Moore, used a fourth-quarter blitz to pull away for a 73-62 victory at Norte Vista. Monday’s win moves Ramona one step closer to securing the program’s first league championship in two decades. “They got us twice last year to win league, but this year was our chance at some get back,” said Pickens, who finished the night with a game-high 26 points to go along with eight rebounds. “We executed when we need to and came out on top both games.” The score was close for much of the evening, as the teams were deadlocked at halftime (28-28) and after three quarters (38-38). Ramona (20-5 overall, 7-0 in league) finally gained separation with an 15-4 run across the first 3 1/2 minutes of the fourth period. Moore kickstarted that decisive stretch with a 3-pointer and sank another from distance later in the quarter en route to 21 points. “I think we all had so much adrenaline running through our bodies in the fourth quarter,” said Moore, who also had eight rebounds. “We lost to them twice last season, so we had a chip on our shoulder. … My teammates did a great job getting me those looks.” Hugo Morales led Norte Vista with 22 points and 19 rebounds, and he scored nine points in the final period to give the Braves a chance down the stretch. But despite Morales’ best efforts, Norte Vista (12-13, 5-2) could only cut that deficit down to six points. Joseph Gutierrez scored nine points off the bench for Ramona, and his 3-pointer with 28 seconds left was the knockout punch. “This was a huge win for us,” Tabatabai said. “The kids believe in themselves and have really bought in to everything that we’ve been teaching them. We challenged our kids in the summer and beat some good teams. I believe we can play with any team.” Ramona needs to win only one of its final three games to secure no worse than a share of the River Valley League championship. The first opportunity for the Rams comes Wednesday night at home against Jurupa Valley (3-19, 0-6). CJ Margain finished with 14 points and team-high nine rebounds for Ramona. Marquise Johnson scored 14 points for Norte Vista, and King Butler added seven points and 10 rebounds for the Braves. Related Articles IE Varsity high school girls basketball rankings, Jan. 26 IE Varsity’s high school boys basketball rankings, Jan. 26 Etiwanda, Ontario Christian and Centennial girls prevail at Public vs. Private showcase Christian Serrano’s hat trick leads Citrus Hill boys soccer team past Hillcrest Centennial boys basketball team shakes off slow start to beat Rimpau rival Santiago ...read more read less