Junior forward Salesi Toki made two huge layups in the final 90 seconds Friday night to propel the East Union Lancers to a 47-41 win over a gritty Manteca Buffaloes team in a Valley Oak League finale.
“It means everything to me to be able to make those plays for my team,” Toki said. “When I first came over, I could only practice and tried to help the team there, but I can’t explain what it means to contribute in a game like tonight against a rival.”
Toki played his first game for the Lancers (9-3 VOL, 21-7 overall) back on Jan. 21 after sitting out due to transfer rules and has only strengthened coach Dalton Ell’s already-deep squad that saw eight players score against the Buffaloes.
“I can’t say enough about what Salesi has brought to our squad,” Ell said. “He works his tail off every day, and I am just happy to see it pay off for him with some big plays that won the game for us tonight.”
Neither East Union nor Manteca (1-11, 7-21) will hang Friday night’s offensive game tape up for future teams to replicate, but fans in attendance were treated to an electric atmosphere full of smothering defense and timely big plays between two teams that want to beat one another regardless of records.
Both sides knew coming into the match-up that an East Union win over Manteca, combined with an Oakdale win at Mountain House, would give the Lancers a share of the league title.
“No one in our locker room wanted to see them celebrate on our court, and I think the guys brought a little extra because of it,” Manteca coach Geoff Israel said. “Credit to our crowd; the energy in the building was phenomenal, and our guys fed off of it.”
The Lancers came out like a team playing for a shot at the VOL championship early on, jumping on the Buffaloes to the tune of a 13-3 lead at the end of the first quarter behind strong offensive rebounding and points in the paint from Toki (10 points) Zydell King (11 points), and Rico Johnson (six points).
A slow start shooting for both teams would continue throughout the evening, as neither team connected on a shot from long distance. Junior guard Jeremiah Orona (15 points) got his team back in the game in the second quarter however, getting to the basket and scoring from the free throw line, cutting the lead to 19-17 with just seconds left in the first half.
Like it did for most of the night, East Union found an answer, this time in the form of junior guard and role player Ricky Soria, who found space in the lane and finished a tough basket while getting fouled to complete the 3-point play and stretch the lead back to five for the Lancers going into halftime.
“I love my role on this team,” Soria said. “I just get out there and try to make hustle plays and make the most of the minutes I get out there with this talented group.”
The momentum stolen away from Manteca by Soria did not last long, however, as the Buffaloes’ other standout junior guard, Madden Melendez, scored six of his 12 points in a third quarter that saw the hosts tie the game at 35-35 going into the final break.
“Our junior core really brought it in that second half,” coach Israel said. “They’ve learned how physical you have to play in this league to succeed, and we’re excited about what is to come for that group.”
Defense continued to reign supreme in the fourth quarter, as both teams combined for just nine points in the first six-plus minutes of the final frame. After Manteca took its first lead of the game on an Orona 3-point play, Toki answered with one of his two big plays late on a dribble drive and tough finish at the rim to put the Lancers back on top.
Melendez answered yet again for the Buffaloes with a layup to go back up one with just over a minute to play. Toki knew his team needed one more big play if they were going to escape with a win. This time, the forward would get help from his teammates, as King drove to the basket and found Toki just as help arrived for an easy layup to put the Lancers up for good.
East Union got a stop on the ensuing possession and seal the game at the line with six free throws from King and Ayande Johnson.
“Honestly, I wasn’t even thinking in those moments, I guess natural instincts just took over,” Toki said. “On the last play, Zydell made a play to get by the defense and an even better pass. I am just glad I was able to lay it in.”
The Lancers would learn after the game they did not get the help from Oakdale they needed in order to claim a share of the VOL crown, but Ell stressed after the game the significance of the win regardless of league standing.”
“We know we have some big games coming up for us in the playoffs, and playing and gutting out a win like this can only help us,” he said. “We’re going to find ourselves in similar spots from here on out and our guys know they can dig deep to find it within themselves like they did tonight.”
East Union came into the final game ranked number six in Max Preps Division III Sac-Joaquin Section rankings, and will learn who they’ll host next week over the weekend.
“Obviously, we’re excited to get back in front of our fans and play in a big game,” Ell said. “But we know the way we play travels, and we’ll be ready to go on the road and make life tough on some team when the time comes.”
