With the Valley Oak League championship already annexed by Manteca High’s girls basketball team, the buzz surrounding its anticipated regular-season showdown with rival East Union took a little bit of a hit.
Neither squad got the memo.
History repeated itself in many ways Thursday when East Union pulled off an entertaining, and sometimes chippy, 63-57 victory on Manteca’s home floor.
Manteca (12-2, 21-4 overall) wrapped up its first conference crown since 2000 on Tuesday by defeating Sierra, and the outright championship was secured when Weston Ranch dispatched East Union (11-3, 19-6) — owners of the previous four titles — on the same night.
“We know what everybody’s goal is, and we came up on the short end,” East Union coach Jim Agostini said. “Manteca is a great team; they won the title fair and square.
“An 11-3 league record is nothing to (be ashamed) about. It’s not the ultimate prize, but we had something to play for tonight. We were playing to hopefully secure a home playoff game.”
Roles were reversed Thursday.
Last season, East Union already had the VOL title clinched when before facing Manteca in the regular-season showdown, but the night was spoiled by a loss — the Lancers’ first at Dalben Center after winning 32 straight.
It was also the second time in three 2009-10 contests that EU was defeated by Manteca.
This year, East Union is responsible for both of Manteca’s setbacks in league, and the Buffaloes were 9-0 overall at Winter Gym going into Thursday’s grudge match.
Recent history was also repeated. When the two teams squared off Jan. 20, East Union fell behind 20-9 in the first quarter before fighting back.
On Thursday, the Buffaloes shot out to a 23-11 lead with still 3 minutes to go in the opening quarter. East Union answered with a 12-0 run to end the period, and 10 of those points came from Briona Fontenot. The senior guard finished with a game-high 21 points.
Fontenot’s biggest moment came at the 3:14 mark of the third quarter, when she was fouled while hitting a 3-pointer from the left corner and converted the rare 4-point play with the ensuing free throw.
That pushed the Lancers’ advantage to six, 45-39. Nearly a minute later, Salina Tiscareno (11 points) buried a 3-pointer from the top of the arc to stake EU’s largest lead of the night at 48-40.
“I wanted to pick up my team because we needed someone to step up,” she said.
Controversy stalled the heated affair in crunch time as both teams dealt with foul trouble. The two best post players in the game — EU’s Shalane Jackson (15 points, 9 rebounds) and Manteca freshman Tia Tuuga (9 points, 4 steals) — fouled out, while Fontenot and Buffalo star Sharon Washington each picked up their fourth early within the first two minutes of the final period.
With 40.9 seconds remaining and EU nursing a 60-57 lead, Washington was fouled after grabbing a defensive rebound and was on her way to the opposite end of the court to take free throws. A delay in action followed as officials were consulted by scorekeepers, and Washington was mysteriously benched with her fifth foul.
So instead of Washington attempting to key free throws, Manteca inbounded the ball and came up empty on the possession.
“That hurt. (Washington) is a key part of our team and the reason why we are where we are,” Manteca coach Andrea Hiatt said. “That took a little bit of steam out of us.”
Three different Lancers helped cap the final score by sinking three of six free throws.
Ultimately, the game was decided at the free-throw line. East Union made 27 of 36 attempts — a huge improvement from its 11-of-23 effort in their first meeting — and the Buffaloes were 13-for-27. Jackson, a 29-percent free-throw shooter for the year, was 9-for-13.
The Sac-Joaquin Section Division-III playoffs tip off Tuesday. For East Union, it will be its 11th straight postseason appearance.
Brackets will be released by the section Sunday. According the final rendition of the playoff power ratings, Manteca currently holds the fifth seed with East Union at No. 6.
“It was a great game going into the playoffs,” Hiatt said. “Would we have liked to have won? Absolutely. But East Union is a good team and this was a good last game heading into our second season.”
Neither squad got the memo.
History repeated itself in many ways Thursday when East Union pulled off an entertaining, and sometimes chippy, 63-57 victory on Manteca’s home floor.
Manteca (12-2, 21-4 overall) wrapped up its first conference crown since 2000 on Tuesday by defeating Sierra, and the outright championship was secured when Weston Ranch dispatched East Union (11-3, 19-6) — owners of the previous four titles — on the same night.
“We know what everybody’s goal is, and we came up on the short end,” East Union coach Jim Agostini said. “Manteca is a great team; they won the title fair and square.
“An 11-3 league record is nothing to (be ashamed) about. It’s not the ultimate prize, but we had something to play for tonight. We were playing to hopefully secure a home playoff game.”
Roles were reversed Thursday.
Last season, East Union already had the VOL title clinched when before facing Manteca in the regular-season showdown, but the night was spoiled by a loss — the Lancers’ first at Dalben Center after winning 32 straight.
It was also the second time in three 2009-10 contests that EU was defeated by Manteca.
This year, East Union is responsible for both of Manteca’s setbacks in league, and the Buffaloes were 9-0 overall at Winter Gym going into Thursday’s grudge match.
Recent history was also repeated. When the two teams squared off Jan. 20, East Union fell behind 20-9 in the first quarter before fighting back.
On Thursday, the Buffaloes shot out to a 23-11 lead with still 3 minutes to go in the opening quarter. East Union answered with a 12-0 run to end the period, and 10 of those points came from Briona Fontenot. The senior guard finished with a game-high 21 points.
Fontenot’s biggest moment came at the 3:14 mark of the third quarter, when she was fouled while hitting a 3-pointer from the left corner and converted the rare 4-point play with the ensuing free throw.
That pushed the Lancers’ advantage to six, 45-39. Nearly a minute later, Salina Tiscareno (11 points) buried a 3-pointer from the top of the arc to stake EU’s largest lead of the night at 48-40.
“I wanted to pick up my team because we needed someone to step up,” she said.
Controversy stalled the heated affair in crunch time as both teams dealt with foul trouble. The two best post players in the game — EU’s Shalane Jackson (15 points, 9 rebounds) and Manteca freshman Tia Tuuga (9 points, 4 steals) — fouled out, while Fontenot and Buffalo star Sharon Washington each picked up their fourth early within the first two minutes of the final period.
With 40.9 seconds remaining and EU nursing a 60-57 lead, Washington was fouled after grabbing a defensive rebound and was on her way to the opposite end of the court to take free throws. A delay in action followed as officials were consulted by scorekeepers, and Washington was mysteriously benched with her fifth foul.
So instead of Washington attempting to key free throws, Manteca inbounded the ball and came up empty on the possession.
“That hurt. (Washington) is a key part of our team and the reason why we are where we are,” Manteca coach Andrea Hiatt said. “That took a little bit of steam out of us.”
Three different Lancers helped cap the final score by sinking three of six free throws.
Ultimately, the game was decided at the free-throw line. East Union made 27 of 36 attempts — a huge improvement from its 11-of-23 effort in their first meeting — and the Buffaloes were 13-for-27. Jackson, a 29-percent free-throw shooter for the year, was 9-for-13.
The Sac-Joaquin Section Division-III playoffs tip off Tuesday. For East Union, it will be its 11th straight postseason appearance.
Brackets will be released by the section Sunday. According the final rendition of the playoff power ratings, Manteca currently holds the fifth seed with East Union at No. 6.
“It was a great game going into the playoffs,” Hiatt said. “Would we have liked to have won? Absolutely. But East Union is a good team and this was a good last game heading into our second season.”
