The first quarter put the Manteca High boys basketball team in a good position to depart from Sonora with a Valley Oak League win, but their fast start would not last a 46-42 league loss Friday.
Manteca (2-2 VOL, 5-10 overall) came out firing on all cylinders in the opening quarter, closing out the first period with a pseudo-comfortable 11-2 lead. Sonora and their leading scorer Alex Kiriluk change the direction of the game in a hurry, leading Sonora to a 21-10 quarter and pilfering the momentum back from the Buffaloes.
“They started hitting some shots; making a couple of three’s,” Manteca head coach Dave Asuncion said. “Kiriluk got hot and they closed the gap.
“We got in some foul trouble in the first and that didn’t help.”
Manteca only trailed by a basket coming out of the half, but Kiriluk and the Wildcats kept pushing forward, responding to Manteca’s 6-0 run to open the quarter with a 14-2 run of their own.
“Kiriluk scored 12 straight in the third quarter,” Asuncion said. “The two times where he really got going, really took its toll on us.”
Kiriluk finished with a game-high 21 points, while Manteca post presence E.J. Godfrey led the Buffaloes with 15. B.J. Odell followed Godfrey with eight, while Ryan Culpepper added seven.
Manteca will try and get things squared away Wednesday when they play host to the Oakdale Mustangs. Oakdale is coming off a three-point loss to the East Union Lancers in its last meeting.
Manteca (2-2 VOL, 5-10 overall) came out firing on all cylinders in the opening quarter, closing out the first period with a pseudo-comfortable 11-2 lead. Sonora and their leading scorer Alex Kiriluk change the direction of the game in a hurry, leading Sonora to a 21-10 quarter and pilfering the momentum back from the Buffaloes.
“They started hitting some shots; making a couple of three’s,” Manteca head coach Dave Asuncion said. “Kiriluk got hot and they closed the gap.
“We got in some foul trouble in the first and that didn’t help.”
Manteca only trailed by a basket coming out of the half, but Kiriluk and the Wildcats kept pushing forward, responding to Manteca’s 6-0 run to open the quarter with a 14-2 run of their own.
“Kiriluk scored 12 straight in the third quarter,” Asuncion said. “The two times where he really got going, really took its toll on us.”
Kiriluk finished with a game-high 21 points, while Manteca post presence E.J. Godfrey led the Buffaloes with 15. B.J. Odell followed Godfrey with eight, while Ryan Culpepper added seven.
Manteca will try and get things squared away Wednesday when they play host to the Oakdale Mustangs. Oakdale is coming off a three-point loss to the East Union Lancers in its last meeting.
