TRACY — Sharon Washington flirted with a rare quadruple double, but she alone wasn’t the reason why Manteca High’s girls basketball team trounced Mills of Millbrae 60-34 in the first round of the Tom Hawkins/Tracy Breakfast Lions Tournament Monday.
The Buffaloes, who improved to 6-1, had players shuffling in and out of the rotation all game to keep the energy and effectiveness of their full-court press at a high level. They set the tone early, forcing 12 of Mills’ 32 turnovers in the opening quarter.
Washington took a few breathers in each half but still managed to produce 13 points, nine steals, eight rebounds and eight assists. Freshman Tia Tuuga contributed 15 points, eight rebounds and three blocks. Sophomore guard Mikayla Hasal chipped in 10 points, four assists and four steals.
It didn’t matter which of Manteca’s best three performers were in the game; the complementary players and substitutes did their part in taking the Vikings (5-3) out of their game.
Manteca faces Edison-Stockton (8-3) in winner’s-bracket action back at West today. Tipoff is set for 6 p.m.
“It seems like our second team, third team or however many teams we have — everybody plays at the same level of intensity, and that’s why we’re such a good team,” Washington said. “We don’t miss a step at all.”
Manteca had two big runs starting with a 10-2 outburst in the game’s opening 2 minutes. The Buffaloes reapplied their frantic press in the third quarter when they scored the first 12 points to stretch a 24-20 halftime lead.
“Manteca did a great job,” said Mills coach Dave Matsu, whose team’s previous losses were against 7-1 teams, Presentation-San Jose and Foothill-Pleasanton. “It was great for us to play them early in the season because in our league (Peninsula Athletic League — Bay Division) we see a lot of full-court pressure. I think this game made us a lot better.”
Bruising center Lexi Chierici grinded out 15 points and 19 rebounds for Mills, which play Patterson in the first round of consolation play today.
Manteca coach Andrea Hiatt will take a double-digit win over a quality opponent any day, but she said there are still kinks to work out. Manteca committed 20 of its own turnovers and 22 fouls, while allowing Mills to pull down 21 of its 44 rebounds off the offensive glass.
“We did not play our best, especially in that second quarter — we got really sloppy at times,” Hiatt said. “We play at a fast pace, but sometimes we need to know when to slow it down. We’re not doing that yet. We talked a lot about having some composure tonight.”
East Union had four players in double figures: Lexy Posz with 15 points, Morgan Hulsebosch with 12 and Briona Fontenot and Shalane Jackson 11 apiece.
Brookside (6-2) also had four double-digit scoring contributors led by freshmen guards Tiara Tucker (18 points), Brianna Smith (15 points) and Noni Kuumba (12 points). Erica Houston, a 6-foot-1 sophomore, chimed in with 10.
East Union takes on powerhouse El Camino (12-1) of Sacramento tonight at 6.
Freshman Diamond Gomez paced the Spartans (2-6) with 14 points, and Jasmine Elder finished with 12.
Lathrop meets Enochs of Modesto today (4:30) at West.
The Buffaloes, who improved to 6-1, had players shuffling in and out of the rotation all game to keep the energy and effectiveness of their full-court press at a high level. They set the tone early, forcing 12 of Mills’ 32 turnovers in the opening quarter.
Washington took a few breathers in each half but still managed to produce 13 points, nine steals, eight rebounds and eight assists. Freshman Tia Tuuga contributed 15 points, eight rebounds and three blocks. Sophomore guard Mikayla Hasal chipped in 10 points, four assists and four steals.
It didn’t matter which of Manteca’s best three performers were in the game; the complementary players and substitutes did their part in taking the Vikings (5-3) out of their game.
Manteca faces Edison-Stockton (8-3) in winner’s-bracket action back at West today. Tipoff is set for 6 p.m.
“It seems like our second team, third team or however many teams we have — everybody plays at the same level of intensity, and that’s why we’re such a good team,” Washington said. “We don’t miss a step at all.”
Manteca had two big runs starting with a 10-2 outburst in the game’s opening 2 minutes. The Buffaloes reapplied their frantic press in the third quarter when they scored the first 12 points to stretch a 24-20 halftime lead.
“Manteca did a great job,” said Mills coach Dave Matsu, whose team’s previous losses were against 7-1 teams, Presentation-San Jose and Foothill-Pleasanton. “It was great for us to play them early in the season because in our league (Peninsula Athletic League — Bay Division) we see a lot of full-court pressure. I think this game made us a lot better.”
Bruising center Lexi Chierici grinded out 15 points and 19 rebounds for Mills, which play Patterson in the first round of consolation play today.
Manteca coach Andrea Hiatt will take a double-digit win over a quality opponent any day, but she said there are still kinks to work out. Manteca committed 20 of its own turnovers and 22 fouls, while allowing Mills to pull down 21 of its 44 rebounds off the offensive glass.
“We did not play our best, especially in that second quarter — we got really sloppy at times,” Hiatt said. “We play at a fast pace, but sometimes we need to know when to slow it down. We’re not doing that yet. We talked a lot about having some composure tonight.”
East Union 57, Brookside Christian 56
At Tracy High, the Lancers (6-2) overcame a 34-25 halftime deficit in one of the tournament’s most evenly-matched first-round pairings.East Union had four players in double figures: Lexy Posz with 15 points, Morgan Hulsebosch with 12 and Briona Fontenot and Shalane Jackson 11 apiece.
Brookside (6-2) also had four double-digit scoring contributors led by freshmen guards Tiara Tucker (18 points), Brianna Smith (15 points) and Noni Kuumba (12 points). Erica Houston, a 6-foot-1 sophomore, chimed in with 10.
East Union takes on powerhouse El Camino (12-1) of Sacramento tonight at 6.
West 61, Lathrop 38
Tournament co-host West (6-6) jumped out to a 19-3 lead, using its size advantage, namely in the form of 6-foot-2 center Nina Pritchett, to take control.Freshman Diamond Gomez paced the Spartans (2-6) with 14 points, and Jasmine Elder finished with 12.
Lathrop meets Enochs of Modesto today (4:30) at West.
