TRACY — The contenders are beginning to separate themselves from the rest of the pack in the Valley Oak League, and Kimball came up with the first pivotal win against another top-three team Thursday.
East Union visited the defending co-champion but came up short 64-49 despite Taylor Snaer’s 21 points.
The Jaguars (4-0 VOL, 16-4 overall) were led by Dariana Willis’ 13 points and travel to Manteca — the other co-champ — next Thursday, Jan. 16. East Union (3-1, 15-4), meanwhile, resumes its tough stretch of games Saturday with its annual Hoops for the Cure game with Trans-Valley League contender Ripon. The Lancers will then host Manteca on Tuesday, and coach Jim Agostini said his young team has some work to do before that cross-town showdown.
“We had a hard time playing tonight,” he said. “Kimball played really well, but our defense just wasn’t up to par. When you’re playing the defending co-champ, you have got to play better defense than that if you expect to win. They were able to get into the interior without much resistance.”
Kimball built a 33-25 halftime lead and widened the gap in the third quarter but outscoring EU, 20-12. Ala Tu’uga contributed 12 points for the Lancers, and Cayla Sims had 10 for Kimball.
Weston Ranch 60, Central Catholic 34
After opening league with double-digit losses to Kimball and East Union, the Cougars (1-2 VOL, 10-7 overall) got back on track with the lopsided win. They jumped out to an 11-4 lead over Central Catholic (0-4, 4-7) and didn’t let up from there.
Janay Holmes made four 3s and led all scorers with 19 points. Jazlyn White and Lea’zae Smith contributed eight apiece, while Jennalyn Laminero accumulated 10 assists, seven steals and five rebounds to go with her five points.
Ripon 66, Hilmar 29
HILMAR — The host Yellowjackets (0-2 TVL, 2-13 overall) were limited to just nine points in the second half after Ripon (2-0, 11-5) staked a 34-20 halftime lead.
Mikayla Vaught buried three 3s and paced the Indians with 16 points. Reina Sausedo scored all of her 13 points in the first half and collected five steals. Myra Toledo also made three 3s and totaled 13 points. Malery States chipped in eight points and nine boards, as nine of 11 Ripon players scored.
Lathrop 49, Grace Davis 41
Jasmine Denning poured in a season-high 22 points and nine rebounds for Lathrop (3-0 Western Athletic Conference, 6-9 overall), which carried a 19-8 lead into the second quarter.
Kierstin Constantino contributed 14 points and four assists. Sanah Singh had five points and four boards.
Davis (0-4, 2-7) got 11 points from Adrianna Solarez.
Junior varsity
Lathrop 32, Grace Davis 11
Lathrop’s Jayna Dizon and Lylianna Avila fired nine and eight points, respectively.
Freshman
Lathrop 43, Grace Davis 14
Taimane Lowery spearheaded Lathrop with 12 points and was followed by kalani Soriano’s nine. Hannah Stewart and Camila Dela Garcia turned in six each.
