1/25/06 7:15 PM @
Sierra (Manteca, CA) **
W 45-42 www.maxpreps.comWINNING WAYS
Jones wills Weston Ranch to winWith his jersey draped over his head, Davon Jones skipped to midcourt and pumped his chest as teammates mobbed him following his buzzer-beater.For a moment there, Jones thought he was dreaming.He wasn’t.The soft-spoken senior buried a 3-pointer with no time left on the clock to send the game into overtime, and then after a short celebration, scored all five points during the extra session as the Cougars rallied to an emotionally-charged 45-42 victory over Sierra High.Weston Ranch has now won four straight Valley Oak League games, and remains in a two-way tie for second place with district rival East Union High at 4-2.
But it took some theatrics to keep the streak alive.After Aaron Gonzalez missed a free throw with 11.9 seconds left that would have given Sierra a four-point lead, Jones rushed the Cougars up court.The final play was designed for
Walter Jackson along the baseline but the shot never materialized, leaving Jones all alone in a race against time.Tick. Tock.“We had a play designed for
Walter, but they did a good job of covering it up,” Weston Ranch coach Bill Slikker said. “To be honest, that was a hail mary . . . a prayer answered.”With two defenders in his face and less than two seconds on the game clock, Jones released a high-arcing heave.A rowdy crowd held its collective breaths as the buzzer sounded.Swish.“I knew I just had to get a good release,” Jones said playing back the still-frames of his buzzer-beater. “I didn’t even feel it leave my hands.“Sierra came out and got after it. But coach Slikker told us that we needed to win this rivalry game. We’re looking toward the playoffs, so this was good experience for us. We needed to do this.”Jones, who scored all 11 of his points in the second half, took the opening tip in overtime and converted a conventional three-point play to give the Cougars the lead for good, 43-40.
Mic’ael Thomas had 12 points, including seven points in the third quarter as Weston Ranch closed to within one heading into the fourth.“This is a tough one,” Sierra coach Scott Thomason said. “I’ll take the blame for this one. The kids fought hard. We’ve talked about putting teams away . . . and Jones hits a tough shot like that. I didn’t think we could play it any better than that.”The Timberwolves have now lost four of their last five contests, including three straight.Gonzalez seemed destine to right the ship though.The scrappy junior point guard knifed through the paint and connected on a floater with 35 seconds left in regulation to give Sierra a 39-37 lead.Then with less than 12 seconds left, he had a chance to ice the victory. His free throw caromed off the right side of the rim and into the arms of Jackson.Fate took its course from there.Gonzalez finished with a game-high 14 points and 10 rebounds, but watched as his last-ditch shot in overtime dribbled out of bounds.Weston Ranch had won its last two games by 10 or more points, but Slikker said it’s the close ones like Wednesday’s that shape character.There were 19 lead changes and six ties. The Timberwolves led for 12 minutes, 55 seconds during the second and third quarters.The Cougars took their first lead since the 7:19-mark in the second quarter when James Nunnally floated in a runner at the start of the fourth.“This is huge for us,” Slikker said. “We didn’t have any big games last year. (This year) we’ve been in a few games where they had to finish, and those games have been instrumental.“We have to find out what we’re made of. This will be a huge momentum lift for us.”Weston Ranch (13-5 overall) welcomes Buhach Colony High on Friday, while Sierra (7-10) gears up for another district rivalry game against visiting Manteca High.Both games tip-off at 7:15 p.m.
Junior Varsity
Weston Ranch trailed by four at the intermission but staged a mad fourth-quarter blitz to escape with a 44-35 win at Sierra.Josh Bowen scored 15 points and Darrel Johnson tallied nine as the Cougars outscored the Timberwolves 17-6 in the final stanza.Adonis Brown led Sierra with 18 points.
Freshman
Three players scored in double digits for Weston Ranch in a tight-knit 55-51 victory over Sierra Wednesday.Chris Durante led the Cougars balanced attack with 14 points, while Jashune Stokes and Casey Stephens chipped in 14 and 11, respectively.Chris Choate led all scorers with 15 points in the losing effort. Jordan Richardson and Robert Plunk chimed in with nine points apiece for the Timberwolves.By JAMES BURNSSports editor of theManteca (Calif.) Bulletin
www.mantecabulletin.com
1/20/06 7:15 PM @
Oakdale (CA) **
W 67-55 www.maxpreps.comBOYS basketball Weston Ranch 67, Oakdale 55At Oakdale, Walter Jackson led the Cougars with 17 points
Head Coach: Bill Slikker Team Record: 11- 5- 0 :
Valley OakLeague Record: 2- 2- 0
TEAM LEADERS
Scoring Leaders
Player
Points
Walter Jackson173
Mic'eal Thomas128
James Nunnally108
Block Leaders
Player
Blocks
Walter Jackson6
Alan King3
Vinnie Devencenzi2
Rebound Leaders
Player
Rebs
Walter Jackson47
Darrin Williams38
James Nunnally30
Steal Leaders
Player
Steals
Mic'eal Thomas6
Vinnie Devencenzi5
Darrin Williams5
Assist Leaders
Player
Assists
Mic'eal Thomas11
Vinnie Devencenzi9
Brown Daniel8
1/18/06 7:15 PM
Manteca (CA) **
W 47-33 maxpreps.com
The Ranch ‘gets after it’ in rivalry win
WESTON RANCH — Matt Peters has excelled in pressure-packed moments since taking the reins of the Manteca High boys basketball team, but the junior point guard wasn’t ready for this.Bodies.And lots of them.The Cougars applied a water-tight full-court press at the start of the third quarter and held Manteca without a field goal for the final 13 minutes, 22 seconds in a 47-33 Valley Oak League win at Cougar Gymnasium.The loss snapped the Buffaloes’ impressive two-game winning streak, while Weston Ranch has now won two straight.
Walter Jackson scored a game-high 15 points and pulled down five rebounds as the Cougars beat their district rivals for the first time at the varsity level.
The smile on Weston Ranch coach Bill Slikker’s face said it all.“It was a team effort,” Slikker said, beaming with an ear-to-ear grin. “We’re playing 10 deep, and they’re flat-out getting after it. It’s a great asset to go five deep (off the bench).“We just wore Manteca out. Look at the score by quarters.”Manteca High coach Dave Asuncion would care not to.The Buffaloes had used a fighter’s mentality to carve out shocking wins against Sierra High and three-time defending VOL champion East Union High a week ago.But that same fight, Asuncion said, worked against them on Wednesday.“We made a couple of mistakes, and they fed off of it like sharks. They could smell the blood,” Asuncion said. “And then we panicked. It was like quick sand. The harder we tried to fight, the deeper we sank. We just didn’t take care of the ball.”There was Cougar senior guard Sam Wilson springing into the passing lane, forcing Peters to veer back in the other direction.There was Brandon Silva, his wingman, creating one road block after another, and forcing Peters into a 10-second violation midway through the fourth.And then, of course, there was Vinny Devencenzi.Devencenzi, the wily veteran in the lot, scored six of his eight points off turnovers in the third quarter, spurring a decisive 10-3 run to make it 35-30 heading into the fourth.“We worked on that all week at practice,” Wilson said of a press that forced 13 second-half turnovers, including eight in the third. “Coach told us to get after it, so we got after it. We left it all out on the court. We knew they were getting tired.”And frustrated too.The Buffaloes held a one-point lead at the intermission, 22-21, and appeared to be well on their way to their third victory.All-league forward Garrett Tolman scored the Manteca’s first five points of the second half to give it a 27-25 lead.Then it got ugly, quick.Paul Camara’s baseline jumper with 5:22 left in the period was the Buffaloes’ final basket of the game, and Alex Pahl’s free throw two minutes later was their last points for nearly nine minutes.Manteca struggled to get the ball across the midcourt stripe and never established any offensive continuity in the second half.Tolman, who had erupted for back-to-back 20 or more game last week, was limited to a quiet 14 points. Pahl had eight.Mi’ceal Thomas had eight points and four assists in the win.“The game plan was to wear them down,” Slikker said. “You could see their frustration and them being tired. When they did break (the press), they’d launch up bad shots.”The loss drops Manteca (7-12 overall, 2-3 VOL) into third place. Weston Ranch (11-5), meanwhile, finds itself in a four-way tie for second place — two games back of front-running Sonora High.The Cougars, Sierra, East Union and Oakdale High are all tied at 2-2 in league play.“It’s league time,” Asuncion said. “They got to be ready to play each week. The worst part is we have to wait an entire week to get this out of our system.”Goods new is on the horizon for the Buffaloes. Injured point guard Ruben Cedano could be back in the line-up as soon as next week when Manteca resumes league play against Sonora on Wednesday.The Buffaloes have a bye on Friday.
Weston Ranch travels to Oakdale on Friday.
The Sac-Joaquin Section released its first power ratings Wednesday.
Again, Weston Ranch was the clear-cut winner amongst local teams.The Cougars debut at No. 17 in Division III, while Manteca opened at No. 20.At season’s end, the top-16 teams advance to the playoffs.“It was a must-win game for us,” Slikker said, who checked the release shortly before Wednesday’s game tipped off. “We cannot afford to lose to a team lower than us, and especially at home.”
Junior Varsity
Josh Bowen led three players in double digits with 17 as Weston Ranch rolled to a 53-30 win over Manteca on Wednesday.Alex Williams and Daniel Castillo chipped in with 11 and 10 points, respectively.Kevin Miller, James Artaxet and Dylan Gonzales each had six for the Buffaloes in a losing effort.
Freshman
Weston Ranch won its fifth straight game and improved to 5-0 in league play with a 40-32 win over Manteca.Jashune Stokes led all scorers with 17 points, while teammate Derek Sykes recorded 12.LaRon Bennett paced the Buffaloes with 10 points, while leading scorer Corey Hardesty was held to just six.To contact James Burns, e-mail
jburns@mantecabulletin.commantecabulletin.com
Weston Ranch 47, Manteca 33At Weston Ranch, the Cougars (11-5, 2-2 Valley Oak League) cruised to victory over the Buffaloes (7-12, 2-3) behind
Walter Jackson's game-high 15 points.Garrett Tolman had 14 for Manteca.
recordnet.com
Jan 11, 2006
@
Buhach Colony (Atwater, CA) **
W 78-66 maxpreps.com
Weston Ranch 78, Buhach Colony 66At Atwater, Michael Thomas scored 14 points, Sam Wilson had 12 and Walter Jackson had 10 to lead the Cougars (10-5, 1-2 Valley Oak League), who pulled away from the Thunder with a 26-16 fourth quarter."Our kids wanted it more, and we clamped down on defense, and that's what won it for us,'' Weston Ranch coach Bill Slikker said.
www.recordnet.comThe Ranch thunders past Buhach
ATWATER — It would have been uncharacteristic of Weston Ranch High to open up their Valley Oak League schedule with three straight losses.The Weston Ranch basketball team refused to let that happen on Wednesday, dropping Buhach Colony High 78-66.Mic’ael Thomas led the Cougars’ scoring attack with 14 points, while Sam Wilson finished with 12. Weston Ranch led the Thunder 35-32 at the halftime break.“They stepped up and really wanted this one today,” Weston Ranch coach Bill Slikker said. “We really got on the ball with our pressure defense.”Despite Buhach converting 10 three-pointers, the Cougars were still able to overcome Buhach’s scoring attack from beyond the arc. Buhach’s Brock Borow finished with 19 points (five 3’s) and Julio Lopez had 13 (three 3’s).
Walter Jackson of Weston Ranch finished with 10 points, while George Robertson and James Nunally each finished with nine.
Heading into the fourth quarter, the game was up for grabs.Weston Ranch closed the game’s final quarter out by going on 26-16 run to pull away, pressuring their way to a victory.“We worked and they got into some turnover troubles,” Slikker said. “It didn’t matter what press we ran, we just had the intensity.”Weston Ranch is now 10-5 overall, 1-2 in VOL competition and are now set to meet with Manteca High on Wednesday.
Junior Varsity
Weston Ranch took their contest with Buhach Colony to overtime on Wednesday, falling 46-43 in the extra session of play.The game remained tied at 43 a piece up until the last few seconds of overtime, where Buhach would hit the eventual game-winning three.Derryl Johnson finished with 12 points for the Cougars, while Bryan Morris scored 10. Weston Ranch went 3-of-10 from the free-throw strike and turned the ball over 33 times.“We shot ourselves in the foot tonight,” Weston Ranch coach Ryan Bono said.The Cougars are now 8-6 overall, 1-2 in league play and will host Central Valley High on Friday.
Freshman
Weston Ranch defeated Buhach Colony 45-42 on Wednesday.Jashone Stokes led the Cougars in scoring with 14 points, Edward Mucklroy had nine and Derek Sikes finished with eight.Weston Ranch is now 6-7 overall, 3-0 in VOL play.
www.mantecabulletin.comWeston Ranch 78, Buhach Colony 66
Weston Ranch -- Mic'eal Thomas 14, Sam Wilson 12, Daniel Brown 2, Brandon Silva 5, Devon Jones 7, James Nunnally 9,
Walter Jackson 10, Vinny Devencenzi 3, J. Walker 2, G. Robertson 9, Darrin Williams 5. Totals: 25 12-16 78
Buhach Colony -- Brock Floro 19, Ryan Porter 3, Jeff O'Connor 10, Julio Lopez 13, Richard Turner 4, Sean Blackwood 8, Matt Norman 9. Totals: 25 5-8 66.
Weston Ranch14 21 15 28 -- 78
Buhach15 18 17 16 -- 66
3-point goals: Weston Ranch 6 (Thomas 3, Wilson, Silva, Jones), Buhach 11 (Floro 5, Porter, O'Connor 2, Lopez 3); Fouls: Weston Ranch 8, Buhach 16; Fouled Out: Buhach (Norman).
JV -- BC won Frosh -- WR won.
www.modestobee.com
Jan 6, 2006 Cougars hammered by whistles in loss to ’Cats
SONORA — Weston Ranch High dropped their second consecutive Valley Oak League contest on Friday after losing to Sonora 47-43.
Davon Jones had 12 points for the Cougars while Vinny Devencenzi had 10 for Weston Ranch. James Nunally had eight as the Cougars led 23-19 at the halftime break.
“We came out a little flat in the third,” Weston Ranch coach Bill Slikker said. “Sonora came out energized and went on a run during the third quarter.”
The Wildcats went on a 19-6 run in the third quarter as Sonora pulled away. Scott Schoettgen contributed 12 points to the Wildcat victory. 26 fouls were called against the Cougars, and nine were called against Sonora.
Weston Ranch went on a 14-9 run to end the game, but was just too much for Weston Ranch to overcome. With 12 seconds remaining Sonora went to the free-throw line and missed with Weston Ranch down by three points.
But a lane violation was called against the Cougars, enabling Sonora to have a second chance to convert. The Wildcats extended it to four and ran away with a victory over the Cougars.
Weston Ranch is now 9-5 overall and 0-2 in league play and are set meet with Buhach Colony High on Wednesday.
FRESHMAN
Weston Ranch defeated Sonora on Friday 53-49.
Michael Smith had nine points for the Cougars as Weston Ranch went on a 35-21 run to close out the second half.
Weston Ranch is now 5-7 overall and 2-0 in the VOL.
By JOHN-JOEL GRIFFITHS
Staff reporter of the
Manteca (Calif.) Bulletin
January 4, 2006-Happy New Year-Hate to blog this one- but you win some and lose some-
Season opener
www.maxpreps.com1/4/06
7:15 PM
East Union (Manteca, CA) **
L 59-65 mantecabulletin.com
East Union lassos The Ranch
Steffen Spinks and the East Union High Lancers couldn’t have felt anymore confident on Wednesday after opening up their Valley Oak League schedule with a 65-59 win over Weston Ranch High.The Lancers broke loose during the opening half of the contest by going on 16-6 run to start the game. East Union jumped on top of the Cougars early and wouldn’t look back for the remainder of the contest.“Weston Ranch and East Union. First big game in the league. Everyone was making a big deal about it,” said Spinks. “Even the players.”Spinks had the type of night every high school basketball player dreams of.“Everything just felt good when it left my hands,” Spinks said. “It was just a hot night for me I guess.”Spinks guessed right.
The 6-1 senior scored a game-high 30 points, grabbed seven rebounds and had six assists against Weston Ranch. Spinks was responsible for 20 of the Lancer’s 35 first half points, as he went to the free-throw line six times during the contest.“He’s very difficult to stop,” East Union coach Eric Simoni said of Spinks. “His athleticism, his ability to get to the rim and finish shots really stood out in my mind. Not only that, he broke people down.”Davon Jones scored 17 points for Weston Ranch as they trailed by 10 points at the halftime break.
Walter Jackson and Mic’eal Thomas each scored eight for the Cougars while Daniel Brown went for nine.“They were comfortable and played with poise,” Simoni said. “We played our best basketball in the first five minutes.”Weston Ranch began to feel a sense of urgency towards the end of the third quarter as they responded by applying some full-court pressure on the Lancers, which would later enable the Cougars to make a run during the game’s last and final quarter.Jordan McDaniel had 18 points for the Lancers while going 4-of-5 from beyond the three-point line during the contest. Ryan Fisher had six points and six rebounds for East Union as they outscored the Cougars 15-14 in the third quarter.Weston Ranch’s full-court press slowed the Lancers down considerably during their attempt to close out the ball game. East Union was forced to put the ball on the floor as they slightly struggled with advancing the ball up the court against the Cougar’s pressure.“We just started rushing things when we should have slowed it down,” Spinks said. “We had a lot more fire in the first half. We started slacking off in the fourth quarter and because of that they started to climb back in it.”The Cougars shot 8-of-16 from the free-throw strike while the Lancers went 8-of-13. Brown pulled East Union within nine as he converted three straight free-throws with 0:46 left to play.
Jackson pulled the Cougars within seven points with 0:19 seconds remaining. Weston Ranch went on 13-5 as they pulled within seven points of East Union, but that was the closest they would get.“We just didn’t have an answer for Steffen Spinks tonight,” Weston Ranch coach Bill Slikker said. “And that was the bottom line.”
Junior Varsity
In junior varsity action, the Weston Ranch basketball team
defeated East Union 61-59 in overtime on Wednesday. The Cougars won the overtime session 8-6 as they dropped East Union in the conference opener.Josh Bowen, Daniel Castillo, Brian Morris and Darrel Johnson all scored 12 points for East Union and their balanced scoring attack against the Cougars.
Freshman
Weston Ranch defeated East Union 37-33 on Wednesday as the Lancers came from behind to win the contest.Garret Fisher had 10 points, Nick Garcia had eight and Ray Gonzales had seven points for the Lancers in their first VOL win of the season.
