Wayne Cheung and the rest of the East Union High sophomore boys basketball team gave the Lancer faithful one last reason to be encouraged for the future of the varsity squad Friday.
Cheung went off for 37 points and hit 17 of 25 free throws, as he helped East Union secure the outright Valley Oak League championship with a 74-58 win over host Manteca.
Center Alex Del Real pitched in with 15 points, and Brandon Cline turned in 14 points while sinking two 3-pointers.
The title is the second for East Union’s sophomore class after claiming the crown at the freshman level last year.
“It’s a great class of guys,” East Union coach Jeff Lund said. “They played the entire season with the target on their backs, and they took care of business. I’m proud of the guys, and I’ll miss them next year.”
East Union, which finished 14-2 in league, forced a blistering pace and led 45-30 at halftime. The Lancers scored 19 points off turnovers in the opening half before putting it in cruise control.
“It was an up-and-down game, but in the second half we were able to slow things down and executed well,” Lund said. “They (Manteca) just ran out of gas.”
Leverett, one of two freshman stars on the sophomore team, finished with 14 points and 10 rebounds. Not to be outdone, Dylan Alexander, the other freshman, poured in 31 points, seven rebounds and six assists.
Weston Ranch went 8-8 in the VOL, but six of those losses were by three or less points.
Joseph Berry paced Sierra (12-4) with 16 points. Tim Thornton finished with 11 points. The Timberwolves trailed league-leading East Union, which they beat twice, by a game coming into the contest.
“Despite the loss, we still had a great year am proud of the season we had,” Sierra coach Justin Muschott said. “Finishing the season in second place in league was a great accomplishment for the team considering nobody expected us to do this well.”
Emmanuel Elijah was the lone double-digit producer with 12 points for Sierra. Lucky Tango pumped in eight for Weston Ranch (10-6, 12-10).
Cheung went off for 37 points and hit 17 of 25 free throws, as he helped East Union secure the outright Valley Oak League championship with a 74-58 win over host Manteca.
Center Alex Del Real pitched in with 15 points, and Brandon Cline turned in 14 points while sinking two 3-pointers.
The title is the second for East Union’s sophomore class after claiming the crown at the freshman level last year.
“It’s a great class of guys,” East Union coach Jeff Lund said. “They played the entire season with the target on their backs, and they took care of business. I’m proud of the guys, and I’ll miss them next year.”
East Union, which finished 14-2 in league, forced a blistering pace and led 45-30 at halftime. The Lancers scored 19 points off turnovers in the opening half before putting it in cruise control.
“It was an up-and-down game, but in the second half we were able to slow things down and executed well,” Lund said. “They (Manteca) just ran out of gas.”
Weston Ranch 70, Sierra 52
WESTON RANCH — Daveion Leverett provided the exclamation point to the Cougars’ season-ending victory with a one-handed breakaway dunk as time expired.Leverett, one of two freshman stars on the sophomore team, finished with 14 points and 10 rebounds. Not to be outdone, Dylan Alexander, the other freshman, poured in 31 points, seven rebounds and six assists.
Weston Ranch went 8-8 in the VOL, but six of those losses were by three or less points.
Joseph Berry paced Sierra (12-4) with 16 points. Tim Thornton finished with 11 points. The Timberwolves trailed league-leading East Union, which they beat twice, by a game coming into the contest.
“Despite the loss, we still had a great year am proud of the season we had,” Sierra coach Justin Muschott said. “Finishing the season in second place in league was a great accomplishment for the team considering nobody expected us to do this well.”
Freshman
Sierra 42, Weston Ranch 38
WESTON RANCH — With its usual starters benched to start the game, outright league champion Sierrra (15-1, 22-1 overall) fell behind 14-4 in the first quarter before chipping away to avoid the upset.Sierra 42, Weston Ranch 38
Emmanuel Elijah was the lone double-digit producer with 12 points for Sierra. Lucky Tango pumped in eight for Weston Ranch (10-6, 12-10).
— Jonamar Jacinto
