WESTON RANCH— When the Weston Ranch varsity basketball team gained control of the opening tip of Wednesday’s contest against Oakdale High, the Cougars unleashed an offensive onslaught that left the Mustangs in an 18-2 grave in which they could find no way out of during the Cougars’ 61-48 victory.Weston Ranch scored the games first 12 points on its way to a 23-8 first quarter lead that displayed a barrage of dunks and long distance 3-pointers. While the Cougars played flawlessly in the opening period, they found themselves fighting off a resilient Oakdale team which cut the Cougar lead to single digits early in the second half.“Jumping out to a lead like that I really think the kids took it as this one would be a little easy,” Weston Ranch head coach Bill Slikker said. “I’ll give Oakdale a lot of credit though, they played really well.”
The Cougars’ complacent style after posting a huge lead led to some easy Oakdale baskets, and decreased the Oakdale deficit to seven points before a Weston Ranch third quarter push.“We kind of fell asleep for a second after we got the lead,” Weston Ranch senior Jerrell Walker said.
“Then we went to the press, we knew we had to finish up this game.”The press drove the Mustangs into a series of turnovers, which gave Weston Ranch the offensive opportunities it needed to put Oakdale away.
“They have some real good athletes over there. They run well, jump well, and they are a real quick group,” Mustangs leading scorer Fabian Lopez said. “Their defensive press gave them a lot of layups and pulled them right back in the game.“I give them all the props, they’ve got some studs.”
Weston Ranch got a superb effort from its front court, with James Nunnally, Walter Jackson, and Walker combining for 51 points.“(Wednesday) we were looking to get some points off of our press,” Slikker said. “Anytime you can score some points off the press its a bonus.“Our big guys were able to get back and get some easy buckets.”
Jackson led all scorers with a 20 point, seven rebound effort, while Walker finished with 16 points and nine rebounds.Nunnally swiped seven steals to go along with his 15 points and four assists in the Cougar victory, which saw starting guard Brandon Silva go down with an ankle injury.Vinnie Devencenzi came off the bench to spark the Cougars in Silva’s absence.“This is Vinnie’s fourth year with me, so I know exactly what I can count on from him,” Slikker said.
“He’s my coach on the floor. He always has been a calming force for our team.“He’s one of those players that would go through a wall if you asked him.”Devencenzi finished the contest with five points and five steals in valuable minutes throughout the second half.“When people go down we have to pick each other up, and come in and work hard to contribute,” Devencenzi said. “I give it all I can every game. If I don’t I let myself down as well as my team.”The Cougars (6-1, 16-4) will look to stay on the right track when they travel to Sonora Friday to take on the Wildcats.
http://www.mantecabulletin.com/articles/2007/01/25/sports/sports2.txt
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