TRACY— The Weston Ranch High boys basketball team learned a lesson in its come-from-behind victory over Modesto High Wednesday.Determined to grab its spot in the Tracy Winter Holiday Classic tournament final, the Cougars opened a 27-13 lead on Turlock High before either team could break a sweat and coasted to a 74-54 victory over the Bulldogs.“When we got down to Modesto (Wednesday) 23-8 it put us in an uncomfortable position,” Weston Ranch head coach Bill Slikker said. “I don’t care who your playing that makes it tough.“Tonight our main focus was not to let that happen.”The Cougars played a seemingly effortless first half, capitalizing on nearly every one of Turlock’s 11 turnovers, and knocking down several open jumpers.“They are such an athletic group, and they just feed of a team losing their composure,” Turlock head coach Doug Comfoot said. “We were stopping and watching the shot and getting beat back everytime.
“You have to scratch and claw for everything you get against them,” Comfoot added. “If you don’t have that mindset they’ll beat you everytime.”Nonetheless, the lingering effect of the Modesto lesson was nearly enough to shred the Bulldogs’ chances of victory all together.“We can’t let teams hang around,” Weston Ranch’s James Nunnally said. “We have to put teams away early. When we jump out early, it gives everyone a chance to play.“Everybody works hard in practice so they deserve to play.”Slikker was able to look deep down his bench Thursday, getting virtually all of his players some action. That may not be an option in the tournament championship, when the Cougars meet up with Edison High of Stockton who blew West High out of the gym, 87-54.“It is going to be 10 athletes racing up and down the court,” Slikker said of the Edison match-up. “Whoever plays defense (today) will win the game.“It’s going to be really exciting.”Nunnally finished as the contest’s leading scorer with 21 points, 14 coming in the first half.Walter Jackson contributed 15 points in the win, while grabbing seven rebounds and pilfering two steals. Brandon Silva was able to come off the bench and chip in eight points, two steals, and two assists.Vinny Devencenzi, who had a hot hand early, finished in double-digits with 10 points and also grabbed three rebounds. Khiry Thomas chipped in five points and four rebounds for the Cougars.The show down with Edison will take place tonight at 7:30 p.m. in Swenson Gym at Tracy High.By JAGADA CHAMBERS
http://www.mantecabulletin.com/articles/2006/12/22/sports/sports1.txt
Tracy Press/Press staff report Friday, 22 December 2006
Weston Ranch started their Tracy Winter Holiday Classic semifinal game off right with 27 points scored in the first quarter. Both teams scored solidly throughout the game, but Weston Ranch (5-4) came out on top 74-54 with 20 more points than the Bulldogs (9-2).
Weston Ranch’s Jame Nunnally was the highest scoring player with 22 points. Walter Jackson scored 15 points. Turlock’s Efrem Harris scored nine points, followed by Craig Hubbard with seven points scored.
Weston Ranch will be up against Edison today for the championship in Tracy at 7:30 p.m. Turlock will play West at Tracy at 6:00 p.m. today.
http://tracypress.com/content/view/6503/2/
Cougars advance to title game
TRACY - In the three years the Weston Ranch High boys basketball team has participated in the Tracy Winter Holiday Classic, it has never entered the winner's bracket. But with a 74-54 thumping of Turlock on Thursday, the Cougars find themselves in the championship game tonight against Edison.
The 20-point victory left coach Bill Slikker anticipating the 7:30 p.m. tip-off at Tracy High like a child on Christmas Eve.
"Let's go," he said, after earning a fourth consecutive victory. "It's going to be a track meet so we better have our oxygen tanks on the sidelines."
The Cougars led the entire contest against Turlock as their prowess and athleticism took over the game in the first quarter. An alley-oop slam-dunk from James Nunnally to Walter Jackson on a fast break gave the Cougars an 11-2 lead just three minutes into the game. It was 27-13 by the end of the quarter with Jackson already with eight of his 15 total points. Nunnally had a game high 22 points, 14 in the first half.
"We've never been in a championship game before so this is a privilege," Jackson said. "We wanted to keep the same intensity tonight as we had last night."
That intensity gave Weston Ranch (5-3) a 45-27 halftime lead and the Bulldogs (9-2) never threatened in the second half. Turlock coach Doug Comfoot said his team spent too much time watching the Cougars move the ball.
"We got beat in transition a lot," Comfoot said. "They'd get the ball and be gone. They feed on you losing your composure."
Thirteen players scored for the Bulldogs but none recorded more than nine points. They were 3-for-13 from beyond the arc and fell behind by as much as 25 points.
Nunnally describes he and his teammates as not only fast and athletic, but smart. They've returned from a tournament in Reno with wounds to lick but the Cougars' expectations are beginning to rise again.
"We're playing hard and finishing our shots," Nunnally said. "It makes us look good; we're ready."
Through three quarters, the Cougars shot 60 percent from the field thanks to multiple baskets in the paint. That number dropped as both teams emptied their benches in the final quarter.
Weston Ranch comes together, reaches final
TRACY — People knew coming into the 18th Annual Tracy Winter Holiday Classic that Weston Ranch was a contender, a talented group with the potential of becoming a great team.
The Cougars win over defending tournament champion Modesto — considered a tournament contender again and arguably one of the field's top three teams — got them into Thursday's semifinals, but the performance was anything but great.
But on Thursday Weston Ranch was great early, dominating Turlock (9-2) in every facet from the opening tip while cruising into tonight's finals with a 74-54 victory at Tracy High's Swenson Gym.
The Cougars will face Stockton neighbor Edison in tonight's championship game, scheduled for 7:30 p.m. at Swenson Gym. It's the first Classic final appearance for Weston Ranch, which failed to advance into the winners bracket in the first round in each of its first two tournaments the past two years.
Thursday's early fireworks were a far cry from Wednesday, when bickering and poor decisions left the Cougars — who finished 10th at the 16-team event last year — with a big first-half deficit.
Weston Ranch coach Bill Slikker acknowledged there was a sense of urgency to make a statement early on Thursday.
"Absolutely," he said. "After getting down 23-8 in the first quarter like we did (Wednesday), that was our main focus. We wanted to get started with energy. 'Let's get a sweat going.'
"And we did that. We had the energy to startthe game."
Consecutive field goals by Mic'eal Thomas and Vinny Devencenzi, a James Nunnally free throw and another bucket by Jerrell Walker gave the Cougars a 7-0 lead — and a preview of things to come over the next 75 minutes — just 1:22 into the first quarter.
From there it was Nunnally (22 points), Walter Jackson (15) and Devencenzi (10).
Daniel McLeod led Turlock with nine points.
http://www.insidebayarea.com/prepsports/ci_4884858
posted by aliciacya @ 6:17 PM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home