The anticipated all-Manteca Unified semifinal is on.
East Union did its part Friday in a postponed Sac-Joaquin Section Division III quarterfinal against seventh-seeded Nevada Union, rolling to a 68-48 victory. The Miners from Grass Valley were originally scheduled to visit Dalben Center on Thursday, but extreme weather conditions prevented them from traveling.
East Union (25-5), seeded second, hosts No. 3 Lathrop (30-0) next Tuesday. The Spartans held off Western Athletic Conference rival Ceres 60-52 in their quarterfinal Thursday.
“They’re undefeated, but we’ve beaten undefeated teams before,” East Union senior Shebra Rezaye said, referencing the Lancers’ win over fellow Valley Oak League champion Central Catholic. That remains the lone loss of the season so far for the Raiders, who are in the Division IV semifinals as the top seed.
The MUSD schools last squared off two years ago in the first round, with EU prevailing, 64-32. Some of the upperclassmen on both squads played in that game.
The Lancers are making a second straight semifinal appearance and fourth in five years. All semifinalists qualify for the California Interscholastic Federation Northern Regionals.
“We’re excited to play Lathrop, and they’re excited to play us,” East Union coach Jim Agostini said. “These two teams were headed along this track. It will be a great game.”
His Lancers were great on Friday, getting balanced contributions from the starters and a spark from the reserves.
Ava Barrera filled up the stat sheet with 14 points, six rebounds, seven assists and four steals. Rezaye finished with 12 points, six assists and four rebounds. Point guard Julianna Gaspar, not typically one to look for her own shot, added 11 points and seven assists. Jerney Luckett tallied 10 points, seven rebounds and three steals.
The Lancers ended with 25 assists as a team and took care of the ball, until the starters were benched halfway through the fourth quarter. They committed just five turnovers in the first three quarters.
“We always play as a team, and I think that’s what got us as far as we are,” Rezaye said. “As long as we keep playing like that, we’ll go very far.”
They even got a lift from some unexpected sources.
Alessandra De Los Santos chipped in nine points, including a 3-pointer, off the bench, and JV call-up Lilyan Frye came up with four points, two offensive rebounds, four steals and a block in her first minutes at the varsity level.
Frye is one of three JV players promoted for the postseason run, her minutes in the third quarter were key after Zyondupree Beasley (six points, four rebounds, three steals) and Luckett got into foul trouble.
Just seconds into her checking in, Frye forced a turnover that led to a fastbreak opportunity. The sophomore center she was unfazed when her number was called.
“It was actually really fun,” Frye said. “I got to know all the girls throughout the season and from practicing with them this week. So, me going in here, it just felt like any other game.”
Ava Ban racked up 12 points, seven rebounds and three blocks for Nevada Union (20-10), which went toe-to-toe with the higher-seeded Lancers at the outset. They kept it close with offense rebounds and some key 3-pointers.
East Union gained separation with an 8-0 burst buoyed by made 3-pointers from Rezaye and Barrera. The Lancers led 36-23 at halftime.
The margin ballooned to 31 in the fourth quarter, which started with an 11-0 run for EU. Beasley’s layup with 3:56 left made it 66-35.
“You can’t get a 20-point lead in the first five minutes of a game,” Agostini said. “You just have to keep chipping away at it, keep working and stack up defensive stops. If you can stack up stops and stack possessions offensively enough times, usually, it can work out for you.”
