Cougars relaxed in underdog role
Following a controversial loss to Sacramento in the Sac-Joaquin section Division III championship game, the Weston Ranch high boys basketball team is relaxed and confident heading into today’s CIF State Basketball Northern California Championships first round against Acalanes of Lafayette.Sacramento was ranked 20th in California this week by Scouts.com, and was projected to be seeded first in Division III by the website before CIF released the brackets with St. Ignatius of San Francisco in the top spot.Having played with the Dragons until the final seconds, and knowing that a call (or non-call) in their favor could’ve meant the first section championship in school history, the Cougars are fully aware that they can play with anyone in Northern California.“We’re loose right now,” Weston Ranch head coach Bill Slikker said. “All the pressure is on (Acalanes). At the seven-seed, what do we have to lose?”The Cougars have thrived in the role of underdog during the postseason thus far.Having made their way to Arco Arena as the No. 7 seed in the section playoffs, the Cougars had to win two games on the road against top-notch competition — no easy feet.
“We’re confident,” Slikker said. “We had three good days of practice. It all comes down to tempo. If they try to run with us, we’ll have the advantage. If they slow it down and force us to play their game, we could have trouble.”Acalanes, recently ranked 8th in the Bay Area by Cal-Hi Sports, plays a grind-it-out brand of basketball.Jordan Fillmore, the Dons’ 6-foot-8 senior center is a bruiser at 230 pounds.Acalanes loves to slow the tempo and feed the ball to their towering centerpiece.“(Fillmore) does a lot of things for them,” Slikker said. “He can handle the ball, he can shoot and post up. We’ve got to get help in order to stop him.”Fillmore led the Dons to a 13-1 Diablo Foothill League championship.Ranked as high as 6th in the state at one point, Acalanes is 25-4 and have won 13 straight games.Last week the Dons took down Bishop O’Dowd of Oakland for the North Coast section title, 60-43.Scoring 63 points a game and only giving up 46, Acalanes is 11-1 at home on the year and played a tough preseason schedule.In one of only four losses, the Dons were clipped by De La Salle 37-36. The Spartans were ranked No. 1 in the state in Division I at the time.“They are a good fundamental team,” Slikker said. “They don’t make mistakes. They are methodical, and they take advantage of your mental miscues.”James Nunnally is playing his best basketball of the season at the right time for the Cougars.Averaging 23 points a game in the postseason, Nunnally has led Weston Ranch in scoring in all four playoff appearances, and saved the Cougars’ season in the first round with a game-tying shot with under four seconds left in regulation against Rio Americano.In the section championship, Jerrell Walker and
Walter Jackson drew tough assignments against Sacramento’s sizable front court, forcing Nunnally, Brandon Silva and Vinny Devencenzi to step up their games on the offensive end.Look for a similar scenario today, as Acalanes’ front court features 6-foot-4 senior forward Joe Wallace to compliment Fillmore.If the Cougars can pull out the upset, a rematch with Sacramento possibly awaits in the second round.The Dragons drew an extremely tough first-round opponent in Riordan of San Francisco, currently ranked 10th in Northern California.Riordan beat top-seeded St. Ignatius three times in the regular season before falling to their crosstown rival in the section final 51-48 after their best player fouled out with two minutes remaining.Even so, Slikker gives the nod to the Dragons.“Right now I’d have to give the advantage to Sacramento at home,” Slikker said.If the Dragons and Cougars do face off in the second round, Weston Ranch will have unique opportunity to claim a little revenge and find themselves one game away from a repeat appearance at Arco Arena, this time with a state title on the line.By BRANDON PETERSENStaff reporter of theManteca (Calif.) Bulletin
http://www.mantecabulletin.com/articles/2007/03/08/sports/sports4.txtThe votes are in: Nunnally, Gowan are VOL’s best
OAKDALE — After the All-Valley Oak League meeting had ended in Oakdale Wednesday, 26 area basketball players and three area coaches were honored for the efforts on and around the hardwood this season.Highlighting the voting was Weston Ranch’s James Nunnally and East Union’s Christin Gowan who took home the boys and girls Most Valuable Player awards, respectively.East Union’s Brian Goulart and Manteca’s Andrea Hiatt shared Coach of the Year honors for girls basketball, while Sierra’s Scott Thomason took home the honor on the boys side.James Nunnally, Weston Ranch’s junior phenom took home MVP honors after leading the Cougars to second-place finish in league and an appearance in the section finals.Nunnally finished the VOL campaign averaging 18 points a game to go along with 5.3 rebounds and 3.6 assists.“James was the leading scorer in league. He never had an off night,” Weston Ranch head coach Bill Slikker said. “He was consistent game in and game out, which I think was the leading factor in the voting.
Senior forward
Walter Jackson (Weston Ranch), senior swingman Marvin Cotton (Sierra) and junior forward Adonis Brown (Sierra) took home first team All-VOL honors.“Those two (Cotton and Brown) meant everything to us,” Thomason said. “Adonis’ rebounding and toughness as small as he is was huge. Marvin’s ball handling. He’s just a big time scorer and rebounder. Those guys deserve it.”Manteca’s guard Sughey Cervantes and forward Kym Gause, both seniors, as well as East Union’s junior guard Ellen Parker made the first team on the girls side.Second team honors went to senior guard Derek Kulberg (Manteca), senior center Jerrell Walker (Weston Ranch), senior center Melanie Promes (Manteca), sophomore center Heather Scharmann (Sierra), senior center Kathy Stephenson (East Union), senior forward Kay Bautista (East Union) and senior forward Ashley Bonifacio (Manteca).Highlighting the honorable mentions were senior guard Ruben Cedano (Manteca), senior guard Aaron Gonzalez (Sierra), junior guard Matt Gomez (Manteca), senior center Brett Paige (Sierra), junior forward Kathy Butler (Weston Ranch) and senior guard Shauntey Cliatt (Weston Ranch).
Several players got the nod for the All-Defense squad as well.They include: Cedano, junior guard Eddie Morales (Sierra), senior guard Brandon Silva (Weston Ranch), junior center Mallory McIntyre (Sierra), senior guard Alex Gonzalez (Manteca) and sophomore guard Rachel McDaniel (East Union).Staff reports for theManteca (Calif.) Bulletin
http://www.mantecabulletin.com/articles/2007/03/08/sports/sports6.txt
Cougars hang tough in section final
SACRAMENTO — The Weston Ranch High boys basketball team played with No. 4 Sacramento until the final seconds Friday night before falling, 62-58.
Had it not been for a questionable technical foul call by the officiating crew with less than two minutes remaining, the Cougars could have traveled back to Stockton with its first ever section title.
After the Dragons were called for a shot-clock violation at the 1:46 mark of the fourth quarter, the officials didn’t properly whistle the play dead.
James Nunnally headed up court with the basketball, and was called for a delay of game technical foul.
After the foul, Sacramento’s Fred Ellis sank two free throws, creating a four-point swing in what was at the time a three-point game.
“That just an awful way to lose a section championship game,” Weston Ranch head coach Bill Slikker said. “That call was (wrong). Their explanation was (not acceptbale). We’ve played three playoff games up to this point, and the refs let the kids play. To make that call in that situation was just (wrong).”
Nunnally went right to work putting his stamp on the game in the first quarter, scoring seven points and finding two open teammates for assists.
After a uncharacteristic 3-point performance in the semifinals against Natomas, Vinny Devencenzi wasted little time eclipsing that mark.
The Cougars shooting guard was good on his first attempt from the arc and finished the first half with eight points.
Walter Jackson and Jerrell Walker had their hands full with Sacramento’s big front court, leaving the supporting cast to pick up any loose rebounds.
Brandon Silva, Mic’ael Thomas and Nunnally didn’t dissapoint, grabbing eight defensive rebounds in the first half and limiting the Dragons second-chance opportunities.
The Dragons started the second period on a 10-4 run behind six points from Shaun Thomas, four of which came by way of offensive putbacks.
The Cougars responded, closing out the half on a 13-0 run that would turn a seven-point defecit at the 4:50 mark to a six-point advantage heading into the locker room.
The run was highlighted by six points from James Nunnally, including a rim-rattling two-handed dunk with 30 seconds left.
Nunnally finished the half with 15 points, five rebounds and three assists.
“We did a lot of good things in the first half. We stopped (Cervante) Burrell from driving, and we limited Ellis,” Slikker said.
The Cougars started the second half up six, and extended their lead to 10 after a pair of Khiry Thomas free throws made the score 45-35 with two minutes remaining in the third period.
Weston Ranch had very little trouble playing against the Dragon’s size advantage.
On offense they refused to turn the ball over, and crisp passing led to open shots almost every time up the court.
On the defensive end, they limited the Dragon's open looks, and sent them to the line rather give up any open layups.
Burrell pulled the Dragons to within seven with thirty seconds left on a nifty spinning layup in the lane.
He cut the Cougars lead to five at 47-42 heading into the fourth when he stole an inbounds pass and converted a layup with four seconds left.
The Dragons took back the lead at the 4:36 mark of the fourth when Brandon Curtis sunk two free throws making the score 50-49.
Sacramento extended its advantage to 53-49 when Fred Ellis converted one of two free throw attempts with three minutes left.
Ellis made it 55-49, moments later with a jump hook from left of the key.
Nunnally returned the favor next time up the court converting a layup and drawing contact for the and-1 free throw.
At the 2:07 mark, Sacramento head coach Derek Swafford called a timeout.
With the score at 55-52, Dragons, the section title was still anyone’s for the taking.
After Ellis sank the technical free throws, both teams exchanged buckets for the final two minutes.
The Cougars worked the Dragons lead to two with six seconds left on a Devencenzi putback.
On the inbounds, however, the Dragons avoided all Cougar defenders and were able to cap off the game with a Jhonte Simpson dunk at the buzzer.
“The season’s not over, that’s the good news,” Slikker said. “We played hard tonight and fought to the end. We had some trouble with Burrell in the second half and we let them back into the game.
“You don’t want to blame the officiating, we had every opportunity to win the game.”
Nunnally finished the game with a game-high 23 points, eight rebounds and four assists.
Devencenzi dropped in 16, while
Jackson netted 15.
The Cougars next compete in the California Interscholastic Federation Northern California Regional Championships which starts Thursday.
By BRANDON PETERSEN
Staff reporter for the
Manteca (Calif.) Bulletin
http://www.mantecabulletin.com/articles/2007/03/03/sports/sports2.txtBy
Michael SudhalterRecord Staff Writer
March 03, 2007 6:00 AM
SACRAMENTO -The Weston Ranch High boys basketball team was about six minutes away from winning its first section championship in school history.
That didn't happen as No. 1 Sacramento mounted a 27-13 second-half rally to defeat the No. 7 Cougars 62-58 in the Sac-Joaquin Section Division III championship game on Friday night at Arco Arena.
"When you're in a championship game, you need everything to go your way and not everything did go our way," Cougars coach Bill Slikker said. "No question we had our opportunities. We missed a couple of gimmes underneath."
Weston Ranch (24-8), however, will live to play another day. It will open the California Interscholastic Federation Northern California Division III playoffs on the road next week.
"It hurts, but we could have lost two rounds ago or three rounds ago, but we're moving on," Slikker said.
Weston Ranch appeared to be in control when it built a 45-35 lead late in the third quarter, but the Dragons (25-5) slowly chipped away at their league.
The Cougars got within 55-52 with 1:46 remaining when junior forward James Nunnally received a technical foul for delay of game.
"With a minute (and 46 seconds) in a championship game, you don't make that call - pure and simple," Slikker said. "That ended up being a four-point swing."
Nunnally scored 15 of his game-high 23 points in the first half. He also had eight rebounds and four assists.
Earlier in the game, Nunnally fueled a 13-0 run to give the Cougars a 31-25 halftime lead.
Sacramento senior center Fred Ellis picked up his game over the final 16 minutes, scoring 16 of his 21 points. He also had nine rebounds.
The Dragons also received some balanced scoring with Cervante Burrell and Shaun Thomas scoring 12 points apiece. Brandon Curtis contributed 11 points.
Walter Jackson and Vinnie Devencenzi had 13 and 12 points, respectively, for the Cougars.
Weston Ranch outshot the Dragons 46.7 percent to 37.1 and shot 62.5 percent in the first quarter.
Before this season, Weston Ranch had not gone further than the section semifinals; where it lost last season to Foothill.
Two years ago, the Cougars finished 1-24 in their inaugural varsity season. They won a share of the Valley Oak League title last season and took second in the league this year.
The victory marked Sacramento's third section championship. The Dragons also won in 1996 and 2005.
Last season, the Dragons lost to St. Mary's in the section title game and the NorCal championship game.
Weston in title game
Cougars stage second straight big upset, face No. 4 Sacramento tonight
By Stephen Roberson, STAFF WRITER
Article Last Updated: 03/02/2007 02:33:20 AM PST
GALT — You can call them Cinderella or you can call them Lucky No. 7 — one more win and you'll be calling them section champions.
The Weston Ranch boys basketball team, the seventh seed in the 16-team Sac-Joaquin Section Division III tournament, overcame Natomas' 12-0 opening run to beat the No. 3 Nighthawks 72-59 at Galt High on Wednesday.
The victory lifts the Cougars (24-7) into tonight's section championship against No. 4 Sacramento at Arco Arena. By advancing to the finals, Weston Ranch earns an automatic berth in the NorCal tournament. Game time is 9 p.m.
Wednesday night's win was the Cougars' second straight big upset — at least in terms of tournament seeding. They earned a trip to the semifinals with a road win over No. 2 El Camino last week.
But make no mistake, the two wins didn't surprise anyone.
The Cougars played a brutal schedule that included top-notch talent at tournaments in Reno and at Modesto Christian, going a combined 4-4.
The heavy early-season difficult slate damaged the Cougars' chances of earning a high seed, but it also prepared them for the types of battles they're seeing in the playoffs.
"Every step is a learning step," Weston Ranch coach Bill Slikker said. "Those tournaments were (meant to prepare us) for moments like this."
The Cougars certainly didn't look prepared early.
Natomas stormed out to a 12-0 lead, dominating so convincingly that simply keeping the game from becoming a laugher seemed as if it was going to be a difficult task.
But a funny thing happened on the way to a blowout — Weston Ranch responded, proving it does indeed belong.
The Cougars put together a 14-2 run to tie the game with 1:55 left in the first quarter and entered the second quarter trailing 16-14.
"It was important (to answer fast) so we knew we could play with them," said 6-foot-5 junior forward James Nunnally, who led all scorers with 25 points. "(The poor start) was just nerves. They've been here before, but it's the first time we've been here."
Fittingly, while the Cougars' challenging road to the playoffs served them well, the Nighthawks' schedule probably — at least in part — led to their downfall.
Natomas (28-2) was searching for its 20th straight victory. During that run, the Nighthawks outscored their opponents by an average of more than 27 points per game.
"We talked about that the last two days," Slikker said. "Streaks are meant to be broken.
"We were the battle-tested team coming in."
Center Jerrell Walker, who finished with 13 points, said it was clear the Natomas players didn't know how to react once they were really tsted.
"They weren't used to being down that late in the game," he said. "I guess they kind of lost their composure."
Actually, the Nighthawks' composure went AWOL midway through the first quarter.
Natomas controlled the first three minutes of the game, building the 12-0 lead.
Walter Jackson (13 points) got the Cougars on the scoreboard with an inside jumper, and the ice was broken.
Brandon Silva and Nunnally followed with consecutive layups. Walker then hit the first of two free throws and added an inside jumper just 15 seconds later.
In a meret 2:08, the Cougars had cut a 12-point deficit to three points, stealing the momentum and leaving the Nighthawks reeling. Having blown such a big lead in such a short amount of time, the Nighthawks never recovered.
Nunnally had two big field goals — one a 3-pointer — to help the Cougars tie the game 14-14.
Natomas led 16-14 at quarter's end, and the slim lead wouldn't last.
Zach Nelson gave the Nighthawks a 21-18 lead with 5:02 remaining in the half, but then Weston Ranch took control.
Led by Nunnally,
Jackson and Walker, Weston Ranch closed out the first half on an 11-0 run to take a 29-21 kead. A back-and-forth third quarter ended with the Cougars in front 48-39.
http://www.insidebayarea.com/prepsports/ci_5338731Cougars can make history
Weston Ranch High boys basketball coach Bill Slikker said he remained calm when the Cougars' season was in jeopardy.
They trailed Natomas (28-2) 12-0 in the Sac-Joaquin Section Division III semifinals when Slikker decided to talk things over.
"The kids came in overexcited, and we weren't calm and collected," Slikker said. "We had a timeout and said relax, take a breath and go out there and play ball."
The No. 7 Cougars (24-7) responded and bear the No. 3 Nighthawks 72-59 to the section championship game against No. 4 Sacramento (24-5).
At 9 p.m. today at Arco Anrea Weston Ranch has a chance to win its first section title in any sport.
"Hopefully, we can continue to wear that Cinderella slipper a little longer," Slikker said. "We're very excited, but (Wednesday) night was our night to celebrate. Going into this season, our goal was to get to Arco. We said, 'let's get there and win it'."
Weston Ranch reached the section final in just its third varsity season. After going 1-24 two years ago, the Cougars finished 20-6 and won a share of the Valley Oak League last season. That squad lost to Foothill in the section quarterfinals.
"You stick with your gameplan, work hard and put the time in and it'll pay off," Slikker said of building the program. "We've taken that next step and gone further. (Last year's) senior class set the tone for the program, the senior class this year and has built upon that."
By contrast, the Dragons are a traditional power. They won the section in 2005 and finished as the runner-up last season. Sacramento senior center Fred Ellis leads the Dragons with 17.1 points and 7.9 rebounds.
"We've got to bring our A-plus game in order to try to pull another one out," Slikker said. "We can't start the game down 12-0 against Sacramento in order to win."
Junior James Nunnally is the Cougars' leading scorer with 18.5 points, and senior
Walter Jackson is averaging 14.5 points. Weston Ranch has seven seniors on its roster, including four starters.
"We've played very tough teams," Slikker said. "We've seen most every scenario in games we've had."
http://recordnet.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070302/A_SPORTS07/703020343/-1/A_SPORTSWeston Ranch ready to make history
Weston Ranch High head basketball coach Bill Slikker saw this one coming.When the Sac-Joaquin section released it’s Division III postseason tournament bracket two Sundays ago, Slikker pegged two teams to meet in the finals — his Cougars, and No. 4 Sacramento.
The logic behind Slikker’s prediction was sound, and as it turns out, right.Both Weston Ranch and Sacramento played top-tier preseason schedules.While the Cougars headed to Reno to play nationally-ranked squads hailing anywhere from Arizona to Utah, the Dragons had their hands full with high-caliber programs like Cornerstone Christian of Texas and Monteverde Academy of Florida.
While both Sacramento and Weston Ranch took a few knocks in the loss column early on, Slikker insists it was those games that prepared both teams to meet tonight at Arco Arena.
“Certain years (a rigorous preseason schedule) works for you, sometimes it doesn’t,” Slikker said. “Obviously this year, it worked for both teams.“When you play tough teams early on, it gives you experience that you can’t replace. Being down by 12, needing a shot in the final seconds. We’ve played through those situations, and it has paid dividends.”It’s not often that a section final pits a four seed against a seven seed, but then again, neither of these teams truly reflect their respective seeding.“The seeding doesn’t really mean too much this year,” Slikker said. “You have teams within the Division with one or two losses and they got the higher seeding, but again, who did they play? Where are they now?”
While the Cougars are excited to be in the final, they know that they have a tough task ahead of them and are not willing to settle for just getting to Arco.“We’ve talked about teams in the past from Manteca Unified who got to this stage, but couldn’t get the win,” Slikker said. “We want to make history here and get the section championship. It’s not good enough just to get there. We have to finish the job.”
In order to do that, the Cougars will have to beat a Sacramento squad that is ranked 9th in Northern California by NorCalPreps.com, and features 6-foot-7 senior center Fred Ellis who averages 17 points, eight rebounds and almost 3 blocks a game.Complimenting Ellis in the post is Cervante Burrell, a 6-0 senior point guard who drops in 13 points a game while dishing six assists and grabbing three steals.
The Cougars have done their homework on the Dragons, having watched them on film and in person.“We started practice a bit late (Thursday) so we could get some film in,” Slikker said. “We’re familiar with them. Obviously it starts with stopping Ellis. We also have to keep Burrell from penetrating. Easier said then done, but those are the keys.“We just need to stay focused and not get in an early hole like we did against Natomas. If we do that, we’ll be fine.”Sacramento is 8-4 on neutral courts this season, and are 24-5 overall.The Dragons score 64 points a game while allowing just 47.The road to the finals wasn’t an easy one for Sacramento.In the first round, they took down Inderkum 65-48, before eliminating St. Mary’s 66-53 in the second.In the semifinals, the Dragons took down No. 1 Union Mine 49-44.Union Mine is ranked 14th in Northern California.
The Cougars coaching staff had a chance in the preseason to get a feel for Sacramento at the Modesto Christian Holiday Hoops Classic.“We’ve had our eyes on them,” Slikker said. “We’ll be ready. The kids are just extremely excited, but not yet satisfied.“We want to bring it home.”The Division III section final tips off tonight at 9 p.m. at Arco Arena.
By BRANDON PETERSENStaff reporter for theManteca (Calif.) Bulletin
http://www.mantecabulletin.com/articles/2007/03/02/sports/sports2.txt
CINDERELLA GOING TO ARCO
Cougars knock off Natomas to advance to section finalsGALT — It’s still 11:59 p.m. on their clock.The seventh-seeded Cougars of Weston Ranch High gave up the game’s first 12 points and roared back to upend No. 3 Natomas 72-59 in a Sac-Joaquin Section Division III playoff semifinal Wednesday at Galt High, earning the school’s first-ever boys basketball berth to the championship round in the process.“We’re the Cinderella, and if you want to look at it that way right now we’re wearing that slipper with pride,” said Weston Ranch coach Bill Slikker.Last Friday, the Cougars (24-7) upset No. 2 El Camino 85-78 on the road.Natomas (28-2) came into Wednesday’s contest ranked sixth in Northern California while riding a 19-game winning streak.
During that streak, the Nighthawks were rarely tested having won by an average margin of 26 points per game.Slikker said he scheduled a tough preaseason for his team — which saw some of the top teams in the state and the nation at the George Maldonado Classic in Reno, Nev. and the Modesto Christian Holiday Hoop Classic — to prepare the Cougars for their postseason run.Whether its last two victories were upsets based on seeding or Weston Ranch is simply peaking at just the right time, the Cougars proved that they belong all along.“Yeah they can be called upsets, but with the schedule we played it was hard for us to get a higher seed,” said Cougar center Jerrell Walker, who had 12 points and 15 rebounds. “We saw some of the best big men at those tournaments, so we were used to seeing them.
”Natomas 6-foot-7 center Justin Baker, the team’s leading scorer for the season, was limited to 13 points before fouling out.Zach Nelson, a hard-bodied 6-6 forward, also fouled out, finishing with six points.Nighthawk guard Marquis Robinson poured in all of his 19 points in the second half, but the latter two quarters belonged to Weston Ranch.The Cougars were shell-shocked by Natomas’ combination of size, activity and athleticism before settling in and countering the Nighthawks’ early run with a 9-0 spurt of their own.“We knew that we could play with them,” Weston Ranch wingman James Nunnally said. “I don’t know why we came out so sluggish, but we picked it up on defense.
Once we started scoring, everything started flowing for us.”Nunnally was Weston Ranch’s go-to guy throughout, as he scored the majority of his 25 points with short-range jumpers in the lane and slick drives to the hoop. He also pulled down eight rebounds.
Walter Jackson ended up with 13 points and 10 boards.“We know that we can come back when we get down,” Nunnally said. “We have faith, we believe in each other. It’s not just one person, it’s the whole team.”While Weston Ranch’s Big 3 did what it normally does, it took a complete effort from everybody else who got playing time.Reserve point guard Mic’eal Thomas scored all of his seven points in the second half, and Brandon Silva finished with eight.Khiry Thomas’ only bucket, a fastbreak layup off a cross-court feed from Mic’eal Thomas, with 3:43 remaining pushed the Cougars’ fourth-quarter lead to 59-43 — their largest of the contest.Natomas cut its deficit down to 11 three times down the stretch, but the Cougars nailed nine of their last 12 free-throw attempts.
Weston Ranch, which is guaranteed a spot in next week’s California Interscholastic State Northern California Regional Championships, will face No. 4 Sacramento Friday at Arco Arena.Sacramento defeated top-seeded Union Mine 49-44 Wednesday in the other semifinal showdown. Sacramento is ranked ninth according to NorCalPreps.com, and Union Mine is 14th.“I didn’t go around telling people this, but I thought that the two teams that will still be in it at the end will be Sacramento and us, because we’re the two most battle tested teams of the tournament,” Slikker said. “Our goal at the beginning of the season during our very first practice was Arco — period.“Now that we’re going to Arco, we want to win that game. We’re hungry. We’re playing extremely well right now, and I like our chances.”By JONAMAR JACINTOSports editor of the Manteca (Calif.) Bulletin
http://www.mantecabulletin.com/articles/2007/03/01/sports/sports1.txtCougars on course for dream ending
GALT - Weston Ranch's dream season lives on.
The No. 7 Cougars advanced to the Sac-Joaquin Section Division III championship game with a 72-59 upset victory over Natomas on Wednesday at Galt High's Warrior Gym. Weston Ranch (24-7) will play fourth-seeded Sacramento at 9 p.m. Friday at Arco Arena. Sacramento upset top-seeded Union Mine 49-44.
Weston Ranch coach Bill Slikker said it wasn't easy to prepare for the Nighthawks (28-2), but he said he was proud of the way his defense responded.
"Natomas penetrates (the key) really well, so we worked hard on that over the past few days," Slikker said. "We're playing pretty well right now."
James Nunnally proved difficult to defend, consistently penetrating for his game-high 25 points. The 6-foot-5 forward also impressed Cougars fans by making a 3-pointer. Nunnally said playing the role of underdog, mostly because of Natomas's size, did not faze him or his teammates.
"It didn't matter that they were bigger than us," Nunnally said. "We had position and helped each other on defense."
Walter Jackson (13 points) and Jerrell Walker (12), also scored in double figures, but Walker said the Cougars played with a "defense-first" mentality.
"We had to get back on defense and keep it to one shot," he said. "We wanted to run it because they were bigger."
The game couldn't have started worse for the Cougars, as the Nighthawks jumped out to a 12-0 lead. But Weston Ranch went on a 14-2 run to tie the game on Nunnally's offensive rebound and basket.
Nunnally also was instrumental in the second quarter by scoring four points and distributing three assists during a 15-5 run. But it wasn't until
Walter Jackson's follow-up shot in the lane that the Cougars got their first lead, 23-21.
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