Manteca High used a strong opening period and a dominant fourth to push past the Livingston Wolves 65-56 in opening round action of the 4th Annual Save Mart Classic in Atwater.
The Buffaloes (4-2) broke open a 40-40 tie to open the fourth by outscoring Livingston 25-16 for the win. Ben Odell led the charge with a 30-point outing, and teamed up with point guard Taylor Hasal to finish off the Wolves with impressive shooting down the stretch.
“Ben was able to get to the rim and get some easy buckets in the fourth,” Manteca head coach Dave Asuncion said. “And then they tried to play the foul game at the end and Taylor was able to hit some clutch free throws.”
Hasal was a cool 10-for-11 from the foul line in the fourth quarter, eliminating any chances the Wolves had a mounting a comeback. Hasal finished with 20 points, following up Odell’s huge effort.
Manteca will try and run its winning streak to four games when they meet up with tournament co-host Atwater at 8 p.m. in the tournament’s second round.
Warriors Classic
Ripon Christian 43, Liberty Ranch 35
The Knights got off to a good start Galt High’s Warrior Classic Tournament Thursday, rebounding from a lackluster opening period to post an eight-point victory.
Ripon Christian (4-1) overcame being outscored 8-2 in the first period, to seize control of the game and end it on an 18- 2 run. The Knights rode the dominant play of Jared Goslinga down the stretch, deciding the game in the pivotal final period.
“Jared Goslinga really had a strong game,” Ripon Christian head coach Ron Vander Molen said. “He took over in the fourth quarter with eight points.”
The Knights also got solid contributions from Dan Vos (10 points), who sank a pair of 3-pointers in the fourth to help Ripon Christian pull away.
Ripon Christian will be back on the court at 7 p.m., taking on the winner of the Linden-St Mary’s matchup.
Granada Holiday Invitational
Ripon 55, Antioch 53
In Livermore, the Indians were able to withstand a last second shot from Antioch in a 55-53 win in the opening round of the Granada Holiday Invitational.
Ripon (1-1) used a strong performance from Henk Gaalswyk to outlast Antioch.
“The fourth quarter we were running on fumes,” Ripon head coach Rod Wright said. “And we just didn’t hit the shots.
“We finished 14-for-22 from the free throw line and that really helped us.”
Gaalswyk was 11-for-15 from the line, connecting from the stripe in crucial moments in the fourth.
Antioch was able to finish with three players in double figures, yet fell silent in the fourth, closing out the game with a nine point quarter.
“We had numerous opportunities to distance ourselves,” Wright said. “But we just continued to turn the ball over.
“Cole (Herren) is really the one that kept us going; we’re just really struggling with turnovers.”
Herren finished the game with nine and Greg Taylor added eight.
The Indians will meet up with the winner of the Enterprise-Palo Alto contest at 5:30 p.m.
McDonald’s Edison Classic
Weston Ranch 72, Oakland 53
The Cougars were finally able to notch their first win of the season, putting Oakland High away early with a one-sided first half Thursday in the Edison Classic in Stockton.
Dillon Alexander led Weston Ranch (1-3) with 24 points, while teammates Zerrion Payton and Andre Beard added 15 and 13, respectively.
Weston Ranch had dropped its first three contests of the season by a total of seven points, but finally put together a showing fitting of the expectations that accompany the postseason team from a season ago.
“The difference between tonight and our three losses is these guys did the little things tonight,” Weston Ranch head coach Ryan Bono said. “I’ve been on them about not playing team defense and doing the little things you need to do to win.
We played hard tonight; we played with heart.”
The Cougars will get an opportunity to atone an earlier two-point loss to Vallejo when the two clubs meet in tournament play at 6:30 p.m. at Chavez High in Stockton.
