GOING TOE TO TOE
Ceres claims battle of heavyweightsCERES—The Weston Ranch High boys basketball team started the Valley Oak League season with back-to-back losses a year ago before reeling off 10 straight wins to earn a share of the championship.Head coach Bill Slikker and his Cougars vowed not to let that happen again, but they now find themselves in familiar territory after Wednesday’s 54-53 heartbreaker to league newcomer Ceres, which figures to be Weston Ranch’s chief rival for rights to the throne.The Cougars (0-1, 9-5) entered the VOL opener having won eight of their last nine games.“We played a horrible game, and we only lost by one,” said Weston Ranch center Jerrell Walker, who had 10 points and nine rebounds. “We’ll come out strong. Now we have to go 13-1. We’ve been down this (road) before, and we knew then that we had to turn it up. We just have to do it again.”It was nip and tuck from the opening tipoff.
In the end, Ceres (1-0, 13-2) missed six of eight attempts from the free-throw line to keep the Cougars in it, while Weston Ranch’s nine turnovers in the fourth quarter prevented it from getting over the hump.Ceres standout Brett Sayad (13 points, 10 rebounds, five assists, three steals) sank a 3-pointer with 47 seconds remaining to push the Bulldogs’ lead to 53-48.Vinny Devencenzi kept Weston Ranch within striking distance with two free throws 17 seconds later, but Kevin Dupree hit the back end of two free throws with nine seconds left to seal it.Devencenzi’s off-kilter 3-pointer at the buzzer capped the final score.“Physically we can play with anybody, but mentally I didn’t think we were there tonight,” said Slikker, adding that his players allowed questionable calls affect their play.“Give Ceres credit. We played in their gym, and they held turf. They did what they were supposed to do — win at home. We’ll see them again in about a month and see what happens in our place.”The game started at a surprisingly slow pace, which was the intent of Ceres coach Jason Martin with Weston Ranch scoring 70-or-more points in eight previous contests this season.Weston Ranch took a 13-7 lead going into the second and got the bulk of its points by driving and slashing to the hoop.With the Cougars struggling to make shots from the perimeter, Martin took a gamble by implementing a 2-3 zone.The Bulldogs mixed in a full-court press and a halfcourt trap in the second half, but it was their zone that Weston Ranch seemed to struggle with.“We slowed them out of their game,” Martin said. “They have some athleticism, and so do we, but we didn’t want to run up and down the court with them the whole game.“We wanted it to be more of a halfcourt game and use some of our size.”Dupree, and athletic 6-foot-5 forward, pumped in 12 of his Ceres-high 16 points in the second half, also finishing with 10 rebounds and five assists.Ray Green, Ceres’ high-flying wingman, stole the show in the first half, when he scored 12 of his 14 points which included two drive-and-dunk plays.Weston Ranch was led by James Nunnally’s 18 points and five assists.
Walter Jackson contributed 10 points and six rebounds.Nunnally’s lob to Jackson, who threw down a dunk with his back to the basket, punctuated an 8-0 run to give the Cougars their first second-half lead at 36-35 late in the third.The loss sets up a showdown with fellow league co-champion Sonora (1-0, 11-3) at home Friday.
“Friday is a big game for us now,” Slikker said. “If we don’t get back mentally for this game, it will be a start like it was last year. I expect big things out of them in practice. They’re competitors. They’re gamers, and I’m confident that they’ll respond.”
http://www.mantecabulletin.com/articles/2007/01/04/sports/sports1.txt
Ceres edges Weston Ranch in Valley Oak League opener
The top two contenders in the race for the Valley Oak League championship faced off Wednesday night in front of a near-capacity crowd at Phil de la Porte Gymnasium.
The Ceres High varsity boys basketball team held on for a 54-53 victory over Weston Ranch in the conference opener for both schools.
The Bulldogs improved to 12-2 overall, 1-0 in the VOL.
The Cougars fell to 9-5 overall, 0-1 in the conference standings.
“Overall, I'm real happy with how the team played, besides free throws,” Ceres coach Jason Martin said. “We were tired. It was an intense game.”
The Bulldogs missed seven of nine foul shots in the fourth quarter. The Cougars failed to capitalize as they were done in by nine turnovers.
“It would have been very disappointing had we lost because we're a better free-throw shooting team than that,” Ceres High senior Kevin Dupree said.
“We shot 70 percent the last three games,” Martin said.
Dupree, a 6-foot-5-inch forward-center, led the Bulldogs with 16 points, 10 rebounds and five assists.
Ray Green, a 6-foot-5-inch senior guard/forward, added 14 points and six rebounds.
Brett Sayad, a 6-foot-6-inch junior forward, scored 13 points, grabbed 10 rebounds, dished out five assists and tallied three steals.
“Kevin played real tough,” Martin said. “He did a real good job working against their big guy.”
James Nunnally, a 6-foot-5-inch junior guard-forward, led the Cougars with 18 points and five assists.
Jerrell Walker, a 6-foot-6-inch senior forward-center, scored 10 points and pulled down nine rebound.
Walter Jackson, a 6-foot-4-inch senior forward, contributed 10 points and six rebounds.
Dupree scored 12 points in the second half. He sealed the win by converting one of two fouls shots with nine seconds left in regulation.
Dupree was sent to the free-throw line after the Cougars committed a turnover on their second-to-last possession. Ceres point guard Andrew Chipponeri poked the ball away from Weston Ranch guard Vinnie Devencenzi as he dribbled up court and into the hands of Dupree, who was fouled.
Sayad had seven points after intermission, including a clutch 3-pointer that put the Bulldogs ahead 53-48 with 43.7 seconds remaining.
Devencenzi buried a meaningless 3-pointer at the buzzer to cut the final margin to one.
Sparked by Green's dominant play, Ceres built a 29-26 lead in the first half. He had 12 points, including two dunks in traffic, a 3-pointer and a 14-foot jumper. Green was perfect from the foul line (3-for-3).
“Ray's going to get a lot better as the season goes on,” Martin said. “He's got so much talent.”
The Ceres-Weston Ranch rematch will take place on Jan. 31 in Stockton.
“Give Ceres credit,” Cougars coach Bill Slikker said. “They did what they were supposed to do-win at home. We'll see them again in about a month and see what happens in our place.”
On Friday at Winter Gymnasium, the Bulldogs posted a 63-60 win over the Manteca Buffaloes.
Dupree tallied a team-high 20 points for Ceres. Sayad, Green, Steven Downs and Ross Tate scored 18, 12, seven and six points, respectively.
Matt Gomez, Derek Kulberg and Ruben Cedano led the Buffaloes with 21, 13 and 10 points, respectively.
Manteca kept the game close by burying 11 3-pointers, including six by Gomez.
The Bulldogs made three of four foul shots in the final 30 seconds, including two by Sayad and one by Green.
Ceres will host Oakdale on Friday at 7:15 p.m. - By DALE BUTLER / Staff reporter of the Ceres (Calif.) Courier
http://www.mantecabulletin.com/articles/2007/01/11/ceres/sports/sports03.txt
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