East Union High’s boys basketball team kept its slim postseason hopes alive Friday with a 60-53 victory over Central Valley on homecoming night.
The Lancers evened their Valley Oak League and overall records to 7-7 and 12-12, respectively, but splitting their final two games, against last-place Lathrop Wednesday and league champ Manteca next Friday, may not be good enough to get in.
East Union is No. 18 in the Sac-Joaquin Section Division III playoff power ratings, but only 16 qualify.
Tyler Bylow and Teejay Gordon turned in 15 points apiece to lead EU’s balanced scoring effort. Robert Vaughn finished with 14 points and eight rebounds, and Ricky Inderbitzin pumped in eight points and 10 boards.
East Union welcomed back freshman phenom Jordan Kron to action after he missed the team’s previous three games with a sprained ankle.
“Jordan played about 8 minutes. He was feeling good after the game, so that’s good for us,” East Union coach Brett Lewis said.
Central Valley (2-12, 3-21) got the Lancers’ attention early by taking a 20-19 lead into the second quarter. Brian Blunt dropped in three 3-pointers in the period but would only finish with 13 by game’s end.
East Union did a better job defensively in the second, holding the Hawks to just six points. The Lancers led by as much as 18 in the fourth quarter before clearing the bench.
“They came out firing, but we really got after it and locked them down in the second quarter,” Lewis said.
The Cougars were neck-and-neck with two-time VOL champion Manteca just two weeks ago but since dropped three straight. The slide dropped them down to the 17th seed from the 11th spot in the Division III postseason power ratings.
“Good win for us going into next week,” Weston Ranch coach Ryan Bono said. “As a team we came together to prepare for stretch run to see if we can make playoffs. The team responded well.”
Nate Moises fired in 18 points to go with six rebounds in limited action for Weston Ranch. Reserve Allen Embry scored all 12 of his in the second half. All 12 Weston Ranch players ended up scoring.
Umar Muriset and Aivery Lewis combined for 30 of Lathrop’s 40 points, with Muriset accounting for 16.
Weston Ranch could help its playoff chances by beating Oakdale on the road Wednesday and Sierra at home next Friday.
The Lancers evened their Valley Oak League and overall records to 7-7 and 12-12, respectively, but splitting their final two games, against last-place Lathrop Wednesday and league champ Manteca next Friday, may not be good enough to get in.
East Union is No. 18 in the Sac-Joaquin Section Division III playoff power ratings, but only 16 qualify.
Tyler Bylow and Teejay Gordon turned in 15 points apiece to lead EU’s balanced scoring effort. Robert Vaughn finished with 14 points and eight rebounds, and Ricky Inderbitzin pumped in eight points and 10 boards.
East Union welcomed back freshman phenom Jordan Kron to action after he missed the team’s previous three games with a sprained ankle.
“Jordan played about 8 minutes. He was feeling good after the game, so that’s good for us,” East Union coach Brett Lewis said.
Central Valley (2-12, 3-21) got the Lancers’ attention early by taking a 20-19 lead into the second quarter. Brian Blunt dropped in three 3-pointers in the period but would only finish with 13 by game’s end.
East Union did a better job defensively in the second, holding the Hawks to just six points. The Lancers led by as much as 18 in the fourth quarter before clearing the bench.
“They came out firing, but we really got after it and locked them down in the second quarter,” Lewis said.
Weston Ranch 70, Lathrop 40
LATHROP — A win was expected of Weston Ranch (10-4, 14-11) Friday, but it was a much-needed one nonetheless.The Cougars were neck-and-neck with two-time VOL champion Manteca just two weeks ago but since dropped three straight. The slide dropped them down to the 17th seed from the 11th spot in the Division III postseason power ratings.
“Good win for us going into next week,” Weston Ranch coach Ryan Bono said. “As a team we came together to prepare for stretch run to see if we can make playoffs. The team responded well.”
Nate Moises fired in 18 points to go with six rebounds in limited action for Weston Ranch. Reserve Allen Embry scored all 12 of his in the second half. All 12 Weston Ranch players ended up scoring.
Umar Muriset and Aivery Lewis combined for 30 of Lathrop’s 40 points, with Muriset accounting for 16.
Weston Ranch could help its playoff chances by beating Oakdale on the road Wednesday and Sierra at home next Friday.
— Jonamar Jacinto
