Playing up-tempo on both ends of the floor helped East Union take a double-digit lead into the fourth quarter, but it also gave visiting rival Manteca a chance to escape Dalben Center with the victory.
The Lancers continued to gamble in the final minute and it paid off, as they held on for a wild 58-55 victory that keeps them a game back of Valley Oak League-leading Kimball.
“We didn’t win a league title; we didn’t lose a league title,” East Union coach Jim Agostini said. “We did establish ourselves a little bit to make this a race and that’s all we can ask for. We’re a team that’s young, but at some point you have to show up and play against some upperclassmen and tonight they did.
“These girls love to compete.
With East Union (4-1 VOL, 17-4 overall) trailing by one, freshman Taylor Snaer — one of four underclassmen starting for the Lancers — saw an opportunity to get possession back for her team while Manteca ball handler Kyaira Jacobs was guarded by Kyshanti King at the top of the key.
Snaer left her defensive assignment to double-team the Buffaloes’ standout point guard and was able to poke the ball away from behind. King raced to the other end and received the outlet pass from Snaer in transition but missed the contested layup. Ala Tu’uga was there for the go-ahead put-back with 20 seconds remaining.
King then stole the inbounds pass, made one of two free throws and the Lancers forced another turnover with their full-court press to seal the needed win.
“I knew I needed to get that steal,” Snaer said. “I was there so I just went for it. This was a big, big game for us and it feels incredible to win.”
 East Union had only four scoring contributors but all finished in double figures. Lani Tu’uga led all scorers with 18 points while adding 12 rebounds, four steals and three blocks. Her sister Ala collected 15 points and 10 rebounds. Snaer finished with 14 points and three steals, and King had 11 points and seven rebounds.
Snaer’s coast-to-coast bucket off one of her own steals gave East Union its largest lead at 47-32 with 2:17 left in the third quarter. That capped an 11-3 run, following an 11-0 spurt in the second quarter that helped the Lancers build a 30-23 halftime lead.
“Tip your hat to East Union, they played really well,” Manteca coach Ryan Bono said. “Early in the game they had a lot of transition buckets. We just weren’t rotating back and we talked about it pregame, but we just didn’t execute defensively.”
Rebounding was also an issue for his Buffaloes (3-1, 13-5), who were beaten on the glass by a 43-25 margin.
They still found a way to get back into the game even with fourth-year guard Jayda Jackson (six points) battling foul trouble.
“Manteca played like a champ,” Agostini said. “If you want to be a championship team you’re going to have to beat a championship team, and Manteca showed their competitiveness. It always seems to come down to a couple plays.”
Jaslyn Woods was aggressive from the outset for the Buffs, attacking the basket and earning trips to the free-throw line. She paced them with 17 points, eight rebounds and four steals. Jacobs also had 17 points to go with six steals. Jadyn Nieman (four points, three blocks) was a spark off the bench after starting center Paige Peterson (six points) went down with a back injury in the third quarter.
Frustrated by his team’s play as well as the officiating, Bono called a timeout late in the third quarter and drew a technical foul.
Manteca responded with eight unanswered points and went to a zone defense that seemed to fluster the Lancers in the final period. Instead of working the clock, East Union continued to attack but committed 10 turnovers in the quarter.
“We have to learn to use the clock and take our time,” Snaer said. “We should have been more patient. Just because they’re going hard doesn’t mean we have to go hard. We should just play our game.”
Jackson knocked down a 3-pointer from the left wing to tie it at 53-53 with 1:41 remaining, and Jacobs made a short jumper in traffic to push Manteca ahead one last time.
“It shouldn’t take me getting a technical to fire up my girls against East Union,” Bono said. “I think we came out a little complacent, I don’t know why.
“I’m proud of the way the girls responded, but if we play four quarters the way we played in that last quarter I think it’s a different ballgame.”
Both coaches downplayed the importance of the game considering what’s ahead — Manteca plays host to Kimball on Thursday, while East Union welcomes its other intra-city rival, Sierra.
“Fresh start, new game on Thursday,” Bono said. “We have to take care of business to put ourselves back in it. I think our girls will be refocused and ready to go.”