Manteca High exhibited its dominance Friday by manhandling rival East Union at the Dalben Center, 63-27.
The Buffaloes (4-1 Valley Oak League, 14-8 overall) did so by controlling the boards — they had a 41-19 rebounding advantage — coupled with experienced players.
"They're young," said Manteca coach Jason Hitt of the Lancers (0-5, 5-16). "We played nine seniors tonight."
But it was a freshman who did some damage early on.
T.J. Legan came off the bench midway through the opening quarter, scoring 10 of his game-high 12 points during a stretch that extended through the early parts of the second quarter.
Along the way, the Buffaloes reeled off 12 unaswered points.
And just like that, they turned an early 5-4 deficit — the Lancers' Alex Cervantes converted on a give-and-go pass from Kirk Simoni for their only lead — into a 24-7 advantage.
Legan delivered on three 3s and Evani Gaeta added a trey.
"Our game plan was to work the ball inside the post," said Hitt, who had the size and quickness edge with the likes of Santiago Sanders, Peyton Nieman, Micah Crawford, Blake Glasgow, and Elijah Nelson.
Sanders and Nelson, who also had seven boards and a steal, chipped in with 11 points each while Glasgow, who hauled in five rebounds including three on the offensive end, scored 10.
By establishing an inside presence, the Buffaloes were able to get open looks from the outside. They converted on seven 3s throughout the game.
"It was hard to keep them off the glass," said Lancers coach Dalton Ell, who agreed that rebounding played a big role in the outcome of the game.
He also praised the Manteca's defense for derailing his game plan.
"We're a young team. Games like this are tough lessons for us, but all we can do is keep on working," Ell added.
For East Union, Jackson Fay led the team is scoring with five points. Zach Grabowski collected four rebounds, a block, and a steal.
The Lancers trailed 34-17 at the intermission only to see the Buffaloes open the second half with a 10-0 run.
Manteca entered the fourth with an overwhelming 50-23 lead.
