By allowing ads to appear on this site, you support the local businesses who, in turn, support great journalism.
Manteca boys, girls teams start postseason with home doubleheader
East Union, Lathrop girls face off again
SJS basketball ADV
East Union’s Zyondupree Beasley looks to attack the basket while defended by Manteca’s Michailla Springs in a Valley Oak League game. - photo by Wayne Thallander

Manteca High will be busy Wednesday night when it hosts two Sac-Joaquin Section Division III basketball playoff openers.

The No. 2-seeded Buffaloes girls squad (22-6) will play the winner of the El Camino-Natomas play-in game starting at 5:30 p.m. and are followed by the boys game featuring seventh-seeded Manteca (19-9) and No. 10 Antelope (14-14) at 7:30.

All other games are scheduled for 7 o’clock tipoffs.

Also in the Division III girls bracket Wednesday, No. 3 East Union (23-5) is facing No. 14 Lathrop (17-11) for a second time this season. They previously met in the Tracy Breakfast Lions Tournament title game, with East Union winning, 55-41. The Lancers went on to share the Valley Oak League championship with Manteca, which won a tiebreaking coin flip after the regular season to get the higher seed.

East Union and Manteca could settle the score in the semifinal round next Monday, Feb. 19 if both teams win their first two games.

Sierra (15-12) is back in the postseason as an at-large qualifier, ending the VOL season with a 58-53 overtime upset of Manteca. The Timberwolves are seeded 12th in Division III and travels to No. 5 Ponderosa (21-7) of Shingle Springs, the Foothill Valley League co-champion.  

Capital Athletic League champion Vista del Lago (24-8) slipped to Division III and is the top seed after making the Division II semifinals last year.

Joining Manteca in the Division-III field is automatic qualifier Sierra (16-11), which drew a tough matchup as the No. 14 seed. The T’wolves are headed to Auburn to take on No. 3 Placer (24-4), FVL runner-up.

VOL boys champ Central Catholic (23-5) is the No. 4 seed in D-III, while Sacramento (21-7) was awarded the top spot.

First-round games for Divisions IV and V take place Tuesday.

In Division IV boys, Trans-Valley League runner-up Ripon (21-7) gets a familiar foe when it hosts No. 13 Ben Holt Academy (22-6), which claimed the outright title in the Mountain Valley League. Ripon decisively defeated the Bobcats in the Ben Holt Tournament final 69-47 on Dec. 29.

Also playing tonight are the Ripon Christian girls (14-11), seeded fourth in Division V as an at-large qualifier out of the TVL. The Knights are hosting Southern League runner-up Mariposa (11-11).

Ripon Christian’s boys (21-6) get the night off with a first-round bye. They’ll begin their Division-V title defense Thursday against No. 8 Big Valley Christian (21-6) or No. 9 Bret Harte (16-11).

All semifinalists in Divisions I-V advance to the California Interscholastic Federation Northern Regionals.

The SJS Championships are between two sites, with Divisions I-III boys and girls finals taking place Wednesday, Feb. 21 at Golden 1 Center, and Divisions IV-V boys and girls finals on Saturday, Feb. 23 at UC Davis.