Sierra staved off a second-half barrage to complete its season sweep of visiting Oakdale in a 50-46 Valley Oak League victory Tuesday.
With Haley Silva scoring all of her points in the first quarter, the Timberwolves (3-6 VOL, 7-14 overall) took an 11-point cushion into halftime and looked to bury Oakdale in the third. The Mustangs (1-7, 3-17) had other plans, as they erupted for 17 third-quarter points to trail by just two heading into the fourth.
Sierra did enough to hold on for the win, making seven of 10 free throws in the final period while going 16-for-24 overall.
Kristen Maestretti paced Sierra with 17 points. Devi Coglio added nine, and Maddi Hackbarth scored 11 to lead Oakdale.
“We had a lot of good energy in the first half but we could have easily been on the other side of this outcome (after) giving up that many points in a quarter,” Sierra coach Martha Spivey said. “The good thing is we were able to finish, and that’s something we’ve struggled with in the past.”
Sierra looks to win back-to-back games for the first time since the last week of December on Thursday when it hosts Central Catholic. Central edged the Timberwolves 53-52 in the first half of league play.
Kimball 67, East Union 48
At Dalben Center, the Lancers (5-4, 14-7) were within reach of a huge upset by the midway point of the fourth quarter before faltering late.
VOL-leading Kimball (9-0, 22-0) was ahead by six with 4 minutes to go and broke away down the stretch. Sophomore Donwanae Anthony keyed the Jaguars’ decisive surge by scoring 14 of her 20 points in the fourth quarter.
“We were definitely in it,” East Union coach Jim Agostini said. “We had some miscues that led to their finishes. Our girls were playing a great game and took on the league leader, but we weren’t looking for a moral victory.”
Ruby Daube fired 17 points to lead East Union. Olivia Vezaldenos contributed 13 points and eight assists, while Anna Wood collected eight points and 10 rebounds.
“It’s a loss but we saw some good things for our team tonight,” Agostini said. “The girls are coming out here competing and getting better. Kimball is a great team and there is a reason why they are undefeated, but I thought we handled their pressure well.”
Weston Ranch76,
Central Catholic 57
In Modesto, Elisabeth Alexander amassed 29 points, 12 rebounds, six assists and six steals as the Cougars (8-1, 17-4) remain a game back of first-place Kimball.
Patricia King scored 21 points, Faizah Bass chipped in 10 and Victoria Gulley secured 10 rebounds. Central Catholic sophomore Danielle Friedrich scored 16 of her 24 points in the first half to keep the Raiders (2-6, 8-13) in it early on. They trailed 43-33 at halftime.
“We couldn’t stop her in the first half,” Weston Ranch coach Chris Bauer said. “We made some adjustments at halftime and luckily it worked out. We talked about staying with our defensive assignments which is something we’ve been struggling with.”
Sophomore
Oakdale 65, Sierra 31
Lindsey Walljasper scored 12 points to pace Sierra. Lea Grutjen and Vanessa Padilla added six each.
NOT SO FAST
Sierra prevails as comeback falls short for Oakdale