Sharon Washington leapt off the bench with a smile plastered on her face.
She clapped her hands together then used them both to slap Mikayla Hasal’s before they joined their Manteca High girls basketball teammates in a single-file line to share “good game” greetings host Sierra’s players.
And that was the extent of the Buffaloes’ big celebration.
Their 54-35 victory guaranteed them a slice of the Valley Oak League championship Tuesday. The title is Manteca’s first since the 1999-2000 season, when the Joe Jacobs-led squad went on to capture the Sac-Joaquin Section Division-III banner.
“In the beginning of the season we said this is our year to get one,” said Manteca’s star point guard Sharon Washington, who had 17 points and six assists. “Nobody on the team has a VOL title — and we all play three sports. This means so much to all of us.”
The news got better for Manteca (12-1, 21-3 overall) later Tuesday night. East Union, the four-time defending champion, was beaten by Weston Ranch 68-64 in overtime.
That result renders Thursday’s anticipated confrontation between Manteca and East Union meaningless as far title implications are concerned, as the Buffaloes now lead by two games with just one remaining.
“I’m excited for the girls,” said seventh-year Manteca coach Andrea Hiatt. “The work they put in and the sacrifice they made is why we’re where we’re at right now. It’s not just practice until 5 after school, there’s a lot more to it and the girls bought into it at the beginning of the year.”
Manteca was in danger of blowing it.
Limited to two points in the second quarter, the Buffaloes were locked in a 16-all halftime tie with Sierra (7-6, 15-9), which is battling for a playoff spot this week.
Manteca needed a boost and got it from reserve guard Karleasha Thompson, who started the second half. She scored all four of her points while pulling down six of her seven third-quarter rebounds off the offensive glass.
In one key sequence, Thompson rebounded the second of two missed free throws from Hasal and tallied another offensive board when her put-back attempt was off the mark.
With Sierra defenders collapsing on Thompson, she found Washington wide open on the right wing for a 3-pointer that put the Buffaloes up by double digits for the first time, 34-24, with 1:22 left.
“She was the spark,” Washington said. “The way she took control in that third quarter defensively and offensively got us together.”
Freshman forward Tia Tuuga chipped in eight points and nine rebounds for the Buffaloes.
Sierra was led by three seniors on Senior Night. Alysia Atkins scored 12 points, Stephanie Vanni finished with 10 and feisty forward Jordan Johnson had eight to go with 11 rebounds.
Atkins played through an illness and fouled out with 4:46 remaining in the game. The Timberwolves were still in the game down 41-27, but with their 5-foot-10 standout out any hope of a comeback was bleak.
“She’s the sparkplug of this team,” Sierra coach Steve Unterholzner said. “Especially against a team like this that’s as quick as they are, we need her speed and athleticism to compete.”
She clapped her hands together then used them both to slap Mikayla Hasal’s before they joined their Manteca High girls basketball teammates in a single-file line to share “good game” greetings host Sierra’s players.
And that was the extent of the Buffaloes’ big celebration.
Their 54-35 victory guaranteed them a slice of the Valley Oak League championship Tuesday. The title is Manteca’s first since the 1999-2000 season, when the Joe Jacobs-led squad went on to capture the Sac-Joaquin Section Division-III banner.
“In the beginning of the season we said this is our year to get one,” said Manteca’s star point guard Sharon Washington, who had 17 points and six assists. “Nobody on the team has a VOL title — and we all play three sports. This means so much to all of us.”
The news got better for Manteca (12-1, 21-3 overall) later Tuesday night. East Union, the four-time defending champion, was beaten by Weston Ranch 68-64 in overtime.
That result renders Thursday’s anticipated confrontation between Manteca and East Union meaningless as far title implications are concerned, as the Buffaloes now lead by two games with just one remaining.
“I’m excited for the girls,” said seventh-year Manteca coach Andrea Hiatt. “The work they put in and the sacrifice they made is why we’re where we’re at right now. It’s not just practice until 5 after school, there’s a lot more to it and the girls bought into it at the beginning of the year.”
Manteca was in danger of blowing it.
Limited to two points in the second quarter, the Buffaloes were locked in a 16-all halftime tie with Sierra (7-6, 15-9), which is battling for a playoff spot this week.
Manteca needed a boost and got it from reserve guard Karleasha Thompson, who started the second half. She scored all four of her points while pulling down six of her seven third-quarter rebounds off the offensive glass.
In one key sequence, Thompson rebounded the second of two missed free throws from Hasal and tallied another offensive board when her put-back attempt was off the mark.
With Sierra defenders collapsing on Thompson, she found Washington wide open on the right wing for a 3-pointer that put the Buffaloes up by double digits for the first time, 34-24, with 1:22 left.
“She was the spark,” Washington said. “The way she took control in that third quarter defensively and offensively got us together.”
Freshman forward Tia Tuuga chipped in eight points and nine rebounds for the Buffaloes.
Sierra was led by three seniors on Senior Night. Alysia Atkins scored 12 points, Stephanie Vanni finished with 10 and feisty forward Jordan Johnson had eight to go with 11 rebounds.
Atkins played through an illness and fouled out with 4:46 remaining in the game. The Timberwolves were still in the game down 41-27, but with their 5-foot-10 standout out any hope of a comeback was bleak.
“She’s the sparkplug of this team,” Sierra coach Steve Unterholzner said. “Especially against a team like this that’s as quick as they are, we need her speed and athleticism to compete.”
