For the second time this Valley Oak League season the Sierra High sophomore boys basketball team gave the East Union Lancers a defeat in its 51-47 win over the Lancers Tuesday.

Joseph Berry drained a pair of free throws with 4 seconds remaining, pushing Sierra up for good.

“It was a back and forth battle the entire game,” Sierra head coach Justin Muschott said. “We played with great defensive effort tonight and that was the difference.”

Tim Thornton led Sierra with 15 points, while Berry closed out the contest with 13. Bret Wilson and Johnny Waggy added eight and seven, respectively.

Wayne Cheung held the hot hand for the Lancers (8-2 VOL, 13-4) scoring 16, 12 of which came in the fourth quarter. Teammate Brandon Cline finished with 10.

LATHROP – The Spartans were in control from the onset, handling Sierra with ease in VOL play. Chanel Johnson led the Spartans with 10 points and Alison Armstrong was Sierra’s leading scorer with eight.

“Lathrop completely controlled the pace of the game,” Sierra head coach Martha Spivey said. “We just could not adjust to it.

“We had big turnovers at pivotal times in the game.”

The Timberwolves (11-0, 18-0) continued their impressive season-long dominance with a comfortable victory over the host Lancers.

Emmanuel Elijah led all scorers with 16, while teammate Eric Melgar added six points and six assists. Jesus Esquievel led East Union with 13, while Justin Nieto finished with 10.

CERES – The Buffaloes dropped their VOL contest with Ceres Tuesday.

Jasmine O’dell led Manteca with 10 points, while Hailee Teixeira and Aiyana Greeley added nine and three, respectively.