Following a second half that had seen six lead changes and six ties, Manteca’s Sarah Inderbitzin gave the Buffaloes the lead for the last time when she grabbed an offensive rebound and converted a three-point play with 1 minute, 13 seconds left in the game Saturday and teammate Kyaria Jacobs iced it with two free throws to give Manteca a thrilling 49-44 Valley Oak League win over East Union at Dalben Center.
“We were just thinking to grab that ball and get it back up as quick as we could,” Inderbitzin said. “Maybe then we could draw a foul.”
Jacobs scored six of her eight points in that pivotal fourth quarter and she chipped in four rebounds, three steals and two assists.
“The whole team battled through pressure,” Jacobs said. “We hustled and those free throws at the end were important for us.”
Rhiannon Genilla was masterful under the boards for the Buffaloes (5-2 VOL, 13-7 overall) with 13 rebounds, including two in the two minutes.
“Everyone has a role on this team,” Genilla said. “And I feel my contribution is defense and to help our girls get into better scoring positions.”
Manteca jumped out to an 8-1 lead and the Lancers (4-2, 9-8) did not lead until late in the third quarter when there were four lead changed in the final two minutes of the period.
“I liked how we knocked down some shots and got back in the game in the second half,” East Union coach Jim Agostini said. “We went back and forth and took a lead in the fourth quarter, and then we were looking for some defense but Manteca hit some big shots.
“It was a good game with two teams that competed really hard. I thought they played well and shot the ball well, especially down the stretch.”
Of Inderbitzin’s three-point play Agostini said, “A little shooter’s luck goes against us. We make a block and it fell back into somebody’s hands and turns into an and-one.
“We were looking for the stop, we got the stop we were looking for and it still didn’t happen for us.”
The Buffaloes’ Marissa Serrano led all scorers with 17 points. She had seven in the fourth quarter.
“We just had to work as a team,” Serrano said. “We pushed the ball up the court and did well scoring.”
Eight different Manteca players scored.
“This was classic East Union-Manteca basketball,” Manteca coach Ryan Bono said. “I am just real proud of the girls. They played real team basketball and a lot of girls chipped in.
“It was a good all-around effort for us.”
Destiny Torio paced the Lancers with 12 points and Donja Payne added came within a point of a double-double at nine points and 13 rebounds.
Lathrop 69, Kimball of Tracy 63
TRACY – Myani Thornton owned the final 30 seconds of the game for the Spartans.
With 30 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter and the Spartans clinging to a one-point lead, Thornton got the shooter’s bounce on two free throws that clanged the rim before falling through to go ahead by three points. Fifteen seconds later she jumped a Jaguars pass and sprinted coast to coast, banking in a layup.
In the game’s final five seconds she hit one of two free throws to cap a personal 5-0 run that helped Lathrop (7-0, 14-4) secure sole possession of first place midway through the league campaign.
“We had been pushing the whole game I had to do what I had to do for my team,” Thornton said. “I had to be quick to get the ball.
“I was thinking that I couldn’t miss that layup.”
Kimball (6-1, 14-4) led 50-49 entering the fourth quarter. Lathrop scored 10 of the next 11 points and never trailed again. Thornton scored four points during that run and all 10 of her points during the final period.
“I try to get the kids so hard to understand the game by possession and by clock management,” Spartans coach Dwayne Davis said. “I don’t have any hair but I am getting balder by the day. That was a heck of a win and we gutted it out by possession.
“The big difference was we hit the boards in the second half. In the first half they had a layup line going to the basket because we were not stepping up and they were able to dish and get back-door layups on us and in the second half we took that away with a zone.”
Mary Cotton poured in 25 points to lead Lathrop and the Jaguars’ Raziya Potter led all scorers with 29 points, netting 21 in the first half.
Weston Ranch 48, Sierra 42
STOCKTON – The Cougars (1-6, 4-16) outscored the Timberwolves (1-6, 8-12) 19-10 in the fourth quarter for the come-from-behind win.
“Weston Ranch had a good shooting night,” Sierra coach Larissa Founts-Bergerson said. “They hit five 3-pointers, three being in the fourth quarter.”
“We will continue to work together and work hard. We reset Tuesday with our second round of league games. I am excited to see how our team fights back.”
Nia Boston scored 15 points for Weston Ranch and Justice Stitt added 12.
Lindsey Walljasper had a double-double for the Timberwolves with 18 points 13 rebounds. Raiann Prieto chipped in six points and four rebounds and Jordan Hayter had six points and two rebounds.
