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.com
mantecabulletin.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.
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