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Cougars rally for first playoff win
Nunnally's 20 points, clutch free throws help Weston Ranch prevail
By Stephen Roberson, STAFF WRITER
STOCKTON — There's a reason the Weston Ranch basketball team won 10 straight games and a share of the Valley Oak League championship after starting conference play 0-2.
The Cougars don't know how to quit.
So when No.10 Placer jumped all over them on Wednesday in the first quarter of their first-round Sac-Joaquin Section Division III playoff game, nobody from No.7 Weston Ranch panicked.
And it paid off.
Sophomore James Nunnally finished with five rebounds and a team-high 20 points, including a pair of free throws with 2.2 seconds remaining, to lead the Cougars (20-5) to a 69-64 win over Placer in the school's first playoff game.
The Cougars, winners of 11 in a row, will travel to second-ranked Foothill in the quarterfinals on Friday. The Mustangs beat No.15 Lindhurst on Wednesday, 61-47.
Nunnally had just four points at halftime before breaking out in the third quarter. Then with the score tied 50-50 heading into the fourth, the sophomore hit a jumper from the top of the key and another from the lane to give the Cougars a 54-50 lead they'd never lose.
With 36 seconds left, Nunnally — who was 4-for-4 from the foul line — hit both ends to give Weston Ranch a 66-61 lead.
With six seconds left and Weston Ranch leading 67-64, Nunnally grabbed a rebound after teammate Vinnie Devencenzi missed his second free throw. He was quickly fouled and hit both free throws to shore up the win.
"After you've won 10 in a row, sometimes that ball bounces your way," Weston Ranch coach Bill Slikker said of the crucial rebound.
Slikker said he's tried to ease Nunnally into a key role, noting he's always had the skills but not necessarily the intensity needed to play at the level he played on Wednesday.
"As time's gone on, he's gotten much more physical and much more aggressive," Slikker said. "When he's aggressive, he's hard to stop."
His second-half performance came just in time.
Through the first quarter and half of the second quarter, it didn't look like Weston Ranch would need to charter a bus for Friday.
The Hillmen (18-10) appeared as if they had the Cougars outclassed, hitting frequently from the outside to build an 18-7 lead just 4:17 into the game.
"We didn't come out with any intensity," Nunnally said. "If we had, we'd have been up by 20."
The lead was again at 11 points, 30-19, with 5:11 to play in the first half when Weston Ranch came alive. The Cougars hit all seven free-throw attempts in the second quarter to chip away at the lead.
Devencenzi (14 points) and Walter Jackson (eight points) closed the first half with a 3-pointer and a jumper inside to cut the deficit to 39-35 at the break.
Davon Jones, who had 19 points and seven rebounds, was the most consistent Cougar, scoring at least four points in every quarter.
posted by aliciacya @ 7:24 AM
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