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Manteca gets even with Sonora
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They may be young, but the Manteca Buffaloes are proving to be fast learners.

They exacted revenge against visiting Sonora on Tuesday night, notching a confidence-building 45-44 victory over their former Valley Oak League foe. Just two days prior, the two met in a Lodi Christmas Tournament semifinal won by Sonora, 60-47.

“I think our girls were more prepared and they came out ready to play a little harder,” Manteca coach MaryAnn Tolbert said. “They knew what to expect and made good adjustments from Saturday’s game.The rematch was a game of runs.

Manteca (4-2) did a much better job of handling Sonora’s full-court pressure the second time around and raced out to a 17-2 lead. The Wildcats (3-2) responded by outscoring the home team 22-9 in the second period.  In the end, the Buffaloes made just 1 of 7 free throws to give Sonora a chance to steal the victory.

The Buffaloes went to a box-and-1 defense to start the second half and slow Sonora’s roll. Four-year standout Bailey Henington was limited to just four points for the Wildcats after burning the Buffs for 20 points on Saturday. Leah Dambacher shared game-high honors with Manteca’s Elizabeth Tolbert with 11 points. Lejla Pepic added nine points for the Buffaloes, and Leah Manuleleua finished with eight.

“I was concerned about our mental strength after Sonora made their run,” coach Tolbert said. “When they pulled off the press it actually slowed us down, but we went back out and made changes to the offense and played well defensively in the second half.”

Weston Ranch 88,
Edison 53

The Cougars (5-1) scored more points in the first half with 56 than Edison did for the entire game.

Weston Ranch had five different players accumulate at least 14 points. Elisabeth Alexander led the way with 20 points, nine rebounds and six assists. Patricia King fired 19 points, while Faizah Bass, Victoria Gulley and Jyriaynna King poured in 14 apiece.

“Very well-rounded game and people were making the extra pass,” Weston Ranch coach Chris Bauer said. “Everybody scored tonight. We defended well and played with great energy the entire game.”

Ripon 63, Tokay 41

The Indians dominated in the paint to score their most decisive victory of the season.

Zaire Davis paced Ripon with 19 points and 11 rebounds, while center Karissa Carlson finished with 18 points.

Bear Creek 57, Sierra 47

The Timberwolves (1-5) were able to make it a game after going down by as much as 20 at one point, but they had no answer for Bear Creek center Macie Linker. She led the Bruins (7-1) with 22 points.

Kristen Maestretti ended up with 19 points for Sierra.

Freshman

Weston Ranch 49,
Edison 30

A 12-13 third-quarter run helped Weston Ranch pull away in the second half. The Cougars overcame 25 turnovers and had three starters in foul trouble in the first half.

Justice Stitt anchored the Cougars with 19 points and five assists. Jaylah Evans contributed nine points and six rebounds.