TRACY — East Union was as cold in the fourth quarter as it was hot in the opening period in Tuesday’s Tracy Breakfast Lions/Tom Hawkins Tournament semifinal-round contest with once-beaten Venture Academy of Stockton.
The Lancers were dealt their first defeat of the season 51-45, but not after yielding a double-digit, third quarter lead.
“They played good defense,” East Union coach Jim Agostini said. “I like the way they play defense. That is exactly what we needed this time of year – a team that plays good, hard-nosed, fundamentally sound defense, and we have to learn off of it.
“A game like this is exciting. It was a playoff atmosphere and both teams were competing extremely hard.”
The Lancers (10-1) rode the hot hand of Olivia Vezaldenos to a 22-12 first-quarter lead. Vezaldenos buried three 3-pointer in the opening period as part of a 13-point quarter for her, and she led all scorers with 21 points. Vezaldenos also had eight rebounds, three steals and two assists.
Venture Academy was dominating on the glass, 49-38, and had a whopping 23 offensive rebounds. The Mustangs had four offensive rebounds down the stretch that were eventually converted into points, allowing them to pull away at the end.
Katelyn Teixeira led Venture Academy (8-1) with 11 points.
East Union faces tournament host Tracy today at 6:30 p.m. for third place.