Senior forward Johan Peringelil scored or assisted on the first 11 points of the game for Manteca in a 60-35 victory over Sierra to pick up a key win in Valley Oak League action Wednesday night.
“Our coaches talked to us all week about starting strong tonight,” Peringelil said. “My teammates did a great job finding me in open spots, and we were running the floor effectively.”
Peringelil’s stat line was as balanced as the Buffaloes (6-3, 12-13) themselves were in the game, finishing with 16 points, six rebounds, five steals, and three assists. The run helped the visiting Buffaloes jump out to a 16-6 lead at the end of the first quarter. The game would never get back into single digits.
The win for the Buffaloes combined with the East Union loss at Central Catholic on Wednesday puts Manteca back in third place in the VOL, a key spot in the standings with the top three teams earning automatic playoff berths.
“I am extremely happy with the performance tonight,” Manteca coach Geoff Israel said. “The last couple years, we have played close games in this building, and we came in ready for what they were going to do tonight and executed.”
Manteca played smothering man-to-man defense for most of the night, with its length at every position giving the host Timberwolves trouble to the tune of 11 steals and a drawn charge.
“We take pride in the way we play defense,” Israel said. “Played some press early on; that really sped them up and helped us force turnovers and create chances.”
Any hope of a second half come back for the Timberwolves (0-10, 5-19) was dismissed when Manteca opened the second half with a 12-0 run to push the lead to 40-14 midway through the third quarter.
Ten players scored for the Buffaloes. Tyler Watkins finished with 14 points and Austin Barnes with nine points on three made 3-point baskets.
For Sierra, another tough loss for a young team looking for its first VOL win on the season.
“It was a rough night, and to be honest, has been a rough season,” Sierra coach Eddie Morales said. “We’ve played in so many close games and just can’t finish. I need to coach better, kids need to play better. But at this point, we are just trying to keep these guys fighting and sticking together.”
Senior guard Lucas Dimas Garcia led Sierra with 11 points, and Colby Veuve scored six points in the loss.
The next eight days will prove pivotal in deciding who finishes third in the VOL and earns the automatic bid into the section playoffs. The Buffaloes will play host to Patterson on Friday, before going to Central Catholic next Wednesday and ultimately finishing the season at cross-town rival East Union on Valentine’s night in a game that could decide the playoff future for both teams.
“The message to the guys going into tonight was that we had to get three out of our last four,” Israel said. “We got one, and we’d obviously love to get four and beat CC, but if we can get at least three, that should get us the auto bid.”
Junior Varsity
Manteca 51, Sierra 30
Madden Melendez scored 19 points to lead Manteca. Muhammad Awan also contributed 11 points for the Buffaloes. Karanbir Bhandal led Sierra with 12 points in the loss.
Freshman
Sierra 54, Manteca 46
Sierra capitalized on nine made 3-pointers in the game to beat visiting Manteca. Travis Rose led the Timberwolves with 17 points, while Kiral Tran scored 13. Brody Carabello led the Buffaloes with 16 points on four made 3-pointers in the loss.
