The future is now for the East Union girls basketball team.
The youthful Lancers honored two seniors in their final regular-season game at Dalben Center on Tuesday and routed Central Catholic 67-46 to guarantee at least a piece of the Valley Oak League title for themselves.
And now the stage is set for their big regular-season finale at Manteca, which can force a three-way share of the crown with a win over East Union (10-1, 23-4 overall).
“They’re not young kids anymore,” East Union coach Jim Agostini said. “They’ve played very well down the stretch.”
Central Catholic (2-9, 7-12) got 22 points from center Tessa Gallo, but it wasn’t enough to overcome the red-hot Lancers, winners of eight straight.
Kyshanti King led East Union with 18 points, while freshmen Taylor Snaer and Lani Tu’uga scored 15 and 14, respectively. Leading 25-16 at the end of the first quarter, the Lancers focused on defense in the second and outscored the Raiders, 14-3.
“We got into foul trouble and we weren’t real pleased with how we were playing defense,” Agostini said. “We talked about it at the end of the quarter and the response we got from the players was pretty good. It was a very workmanlike effort on a night we clinched the title.”
Manteca 65, Weston Ranch 23
The Buffaloes (9-2, 19-6) have been on a roll since squeaking out a two-point win in their last meeting with Weston Ranch (2-9, 11-14).
The rematch wasn’t close after Manteca staked a 19-7 first-quarter lead. Coach Ryan Bono said the key to his team’s current six-game winning streak is effort.
“Our overall effort has helped us defensively,” Bono said. “We have been focusing on that the last three or four games and the girls have really responded.”
Marissa Serrano registered a game-high 14 points. Jayda Jackson chipped in 12 points and five assists, while Jaslyn Woods had 12 points and 10 rebounds. Paige Peterson finished with seven points and five blocks.