Bulletin staff reports

TRACY — It had the look of a trap game for East Union, but the Lancers only affirmed their spot as top dog in the Valley Oak League.

Olivia Vezaldenos nearly had a triple-double in limited time, leading the Lancers to a 51-31 clobbering of third-place Kimball on Monday. Despite losing their entire starting five from last year’s championship team, the Jaguars (5-4, 10-11) has proved to still be a factor in the VOL last week with big wins over Central Catholic and Lathrop, which are also in the race for a Sac-Joaquin Section playoff berth.

 “Coming off the Manteca game on a Monday night could be hard, but the girls came out and played a real solid game tonight,” East Union coach Jim Agostini said.

Vezaldenos amassed 38 points in last Friday’s 74-58 win over Manteca. On Monday, she scored 15 points but also had eight rebounds, eight assists and four steals.

Freshman Donja Payne finished with 13 points, 10 rebounds and three blocks. Ciara Goodwin (seven points, eight rebounds) and DeJohna Pryor (10 rebounds) were other key contributors in the post. 

East Union (9-0, 21-1) put it out of reach early, racing out to an 18-5 lead and charging into halftime with a 31-12 advantage. Pearl Bautista tallied 10 points for Kimball.

Sierra 33, Oakdale 31

OAKDALE — Kayla Wilson carried the load offensively for the visiting Timberwolves (2-7, 10-12), but it was defense that helped them snap a seven-game slide while completing a season sweep of Oakdale .

Wilson, who finished with 18 points, sank go-ahead free throws with 17 seconds remaining after Sierra forced a turnover and Oakdale was called for a technical foul. The Mustangs (1-8, 8-13) were unable to get a shot off on their final possession, as Sierra held on for the win despite not scoring

“As a team, we made smart choices and were patient with the ball,” Sierra coach Martha Spivey said.

Oakdale was led by Micaela Maaske’s eight points.

Central Catholic 70,

Weston Ranch 59

STOCKTON — Weston Ranch (1-8, 3-17) trailed 18-7 after the first quarter but was able to trim the deficit to five by halftime. 

“Turnovers and missed free throws ended up hurting us in the end,” Weston Ranch coach Darrell Johnson said. “But we’re starting to get better as a team and there are enough games left in the season for us to peak.”

Asia Staups paced the Cougars with 18 points, Cierra Jones added 13 and Alexa Giron turned in 12. Danielle Friedrich pumped in 21 for Central Catholic (5-4, 14-7).

Sophomore

East Union 57, Kimball 33

TRACY — The Lancers improved to 6-3 behind double-digit scoring efforts from Nina Murphy (13 points) and Mariah James (11). Faith Stofferahn contributed with nine points.

Weston Ranch 59,

Central Catholic 34

STOCKTON — Justice Stitt poured in 19 points, and Shemeka Watts helped with 11 as the Cougars cruised to a blowout win.

Freshman

Kimball 36, East Union 19

Chelsey Costa and Jaha Scott-Minor poured in 14 points for the victorious Jaguars.