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Kiriluk, Martin go off on EU
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SONORA — Sonora torched undersized East Union in the post in its 81-67 win on Jan. 6.

On Friday, the Wildcats did it from the perimeter.

Led by 6-foot-4 wing forward Alex Kiriluk’s 28 points, Sonora completed the season sweep, 63-51.

The X-Factor was Josh Martin, who dropped in four 3-pointers to account for the majority of his 18 points.

“He killed us tonight,” East Union coach Brett Lewis said. “I thought our defense was pretty good and we guarded their inside (players) well.

“We put a lot of our attention on the post because that’s where we’re vulnerable, but they took advantage of us guarding the inside.”

Zach Gorgas, a 6-foot-5 center for Sonora (6-4 Valley Oak League, 12-9 overall), fired in 22 points the last time the two teams met but was limited to just five Friday.

The lanky Kiriluk hit two treys but did most of his work inside the arc, hitting shots from all over and finding Martin open in the perimeter when scoring opportunities weren’t there for himself.

“He’s a versatile player that can step out and hit the 3 or penetrate,” Lewis said. “He’s very tough to guard.”

East Union (4-5, 9-10) trailed 16-9 after the first quarter and kept it close until the fourth, but it was an uphill climb throughout.

Freshman Jordan Kron led the Lancers with 17 points, and Teejay Gordon hit four 3-pointers to finish with 14. Ricky Inderbitzin contributed 10 points and 11 rebounds, while Robert Vaughn added eight and 10.

East Union has a busy week upcoming, starting with a makeup game on the road against Central Valley followed by a big home game against crosstown foe Sierra Tuesday. The Lancers cap the week at Oakdale next Friday.

“If we want to stay in the race we need to play well next week,” Lewis said. “We’re playing some teams we’ve already beaten, so hopefully we come out of it with three wins.”

Manteca 73, Lathrop 49
At Manteca, Kiwi Gardner pumped in 19 points to help the Buffaloes (9-1, 16-5) maintain their lead atop the VOL standings.

Seniors Gerry Cooper and Ernie Pimentel added 10 apiece.

Weston Ranch 61, Central Valley 33
WESTON RANCH — It’s the calm before the storm for the Cougars (8-1, 12-8), who were on cruise control in their only contest of the week.

Next week Weston Ranch has three contests against tough teams — Sonora on the road Tuesday, Ceres at home Friday and Manteca at home Saturday.

Ronnie Collins produced 14 points and six boards to lead Weston Ranch Friday. Nate Moises chimed in with 10 points and five steals.
— Jonamar Jacinto