STOCKTON — Sierra’s boys basketball team dropped a 77-74 double-overtime heartbreaker to Grant in the first round of the McDonald’s Classic at Edison High on Wednesday, but it was a double whammy for the Timberwolves.
Jamie Ochoa, the team’s best ball handler, suffered a broken collar bone late in the third quarter, and it changed the complexion of the game. Sierra (2-1) appeared to be on its way to a benchmark win over the Pacers (3-0) from Sacramento with a 54-44 lead at the start of the fourth.
“(Ochoa) was controlling the game,” Sierra coach Scott Thomason said. “Grant is very good and we had a perfect game plan against them. When he got hurt the game changed with him not there. We turned the ball over, got sloppy and couldn’t handle their traps.”
It was still an encouraging effort for Sierra, which had five players in double figures. Victor Elijah led the way with 19 points, Parmvir Singh and Jamille Grady each had 14, and Bikram Thiara tallied 11. Ochoa ended up with 10 points. Grant’s Julian Reed topped all scorers with 22.
“I’m so proud of our guys’ effort tonight,” Thomason said. “They did everything they could to win that game, we just didn’t have enough in the end.”
Sierra looks to bounce back tonight against Chavez at Weston Ranch. Tipoff is scheduled for 5.
East Union 68,
Gregori 60 (OT)
The Lancers (3-2) overcame Gregori’s size advantage and a nine-point fourth quarter lead, 50-41, to win it in overtime at Dalben Center.
Gyse Hulsebosch, who poured in a game-high 24 points, buried a 3-pointer with 5 seconds left in regulation to force the extra period. In overtime, Blake Greenlee scored on East Union’s first two possessions, including a 3-pointer, to keep it rolling. Scott Morenzone and Jesse Anzar added four points apiece down the stretch. Greenlee and Morenzone wound up with 12 points apiece.
“We were pretty efficient in overtime; we scored or got free throws on every possession,” EU coach Ryan Tarr said. “We just found a way to grind it out. We made some stops defensively and made some shots.”
Gregori was spearheaded by Drew McClellan’s 20 points.
Tracy 77, Lathrop 64
LATHROP — Missed layups — 28 of them, according to coach Craig Ward — doomed Lathrop (0-2) for a second night in a row. The Spartans nursed a 38-37 halftime lead but the misfires caught up with them in the end.
“You can’t have missed layups and be successful,” Ward said. “At the end of the game we lacked hustle and starting firing shots instead of working to get better ones.”
Junior Ballard paced Lathrop with 25 points. Adonis Payton contributed 18 points and six rebounds, and Michael Mills added 15 points.
GIRLS
Ripon 64, Johansen 32
MODESTO — Sophomore Mia Van Lewallen scored the game’s first eight points for Ripon (3-1) and finished with a game-high 15 points.
Mariah Strickland turned in 13 points, and Felicia Ceja buried three 3-pointers to finish with 11. The Indians were ahead 35-19 at halftime and kept the Vikings to single-digit scoring in each of the final two quarters.
Freshman girls
Johansen 53, Ripon 48
MODESTO — Ripon never trailed until the final 2 minutes of the game, succumbing to a 22-point fourth-quarter charge from the host Vikings.
Liliana Mejia fired 23 points to lead Ripon, and Mackenzie Hutchinson chipped in 14.
