Much is at stake in the final week of the Valley Oak League girls basketball season.
Rivals Manteca and East Union remain as the VOL’s championship contenders, Weston Ranch is fighting for a more favorable playoff spot and Sierra must face two of those teams in its quest to qualify.
Manteca (11-1, 20-3 overall) is No. 5 in the final Sac-Joaquin Section Division III girls playoff power ratings, which were released Monday. The final power ratings will help the section’s playoff committee map out the brackets in each division this weekend. Brackets will be unveiled on the section’s website, www.cifsjs.org, Sunday afternoon around 2 p.m.
The Buffaloes are in line to garner their first conference title since 2000 and can guarantee a co-championship by beating Sierra (7-5, 15-8) tonight.
Sierra has won four straight since the initial release of the power ratings Jan. 31, moving up to No. 14 from 19. Thursday’s road game at No. 8 Weston Ranch (9-3, 15-8) may decide its postseason fate.
Four-time defending VOL champion East Union (10-2, 18-5) is now sixth in the power ratings and will have revenge in mind tonight when the Lancers host Weston Ranch. East Union did beat Manteca in their first meeting of the season, and the much-anticipated rematch is Thursday at Manteca’s Winter Gymnasium.
Teams have already been crowned in other league races in the area.
Outright VOL boys champion Weston Ranch (12-0, 22-2) will put its No. 4 seeding and perfect conference record on the line against No. 10 East Union (8-4, 14-9) Wednesday at home and at No. 9 Sierra (9-3, 18-6) Friday.
The league’s two-time reigning titlist, Manteca (5-7, 8-15), is out of the postseason hunt but can play spoiler against Sierra and EU this week.
In Division IV, Ripon High’s girls (8-2, 19-5) are in danger of not hosting a first-round game after last week’s blowout loss to fourth-seeded Modesto Christian — the Trans Valley League’s five-time champion. Ripon dropped a spot down to No. 9. The Ripon boys (8-2, 15-10) lost a competitive game to MC last Friday but and were also knocked down a rung to No. 6.
An upset up north helped Ripon Christian’s boys squad (12-0, 20-5) leapfrog Bradshaw Christian for the top seed in Division V. Bradshaw lost to Encina Prep last Friday while RC captured the outright Southern League championship.
The Lady Knights (10-2, 17-6), meanwhile, fell two spots to No. 7 because of their loss to SL champ Turlock Christian.
Rivals Manteca and East Union remain as the VOL’s championship contenders, Weston Ranch is fighting for a more favorable playoff spot and Sierra must face two of those teams in its quest to qualify.
Manteca (11-1, 20-3 overall) is No. 5 in the final Sac-Joaquin Section Division III girls playoff power ratings, which were released Monday. The final power ratings will help the section’s playoff committee map out the brackets in each division this weekend. Brackets will be unveiled on the section’s website, www.cifsjs.org, Sunday afternoon around 2 p.m.
The Buffaloes are in line to garner their first conference title since 2000 and can guarantee a co-championship by beating Sierra (7-5, 15-8) tonight.
Sierra has won four straight since the initial release of the power ratings Jan. 31, moving up to No. 14 from 19. Thursday’s road game at No. 8 Weston Ranch (9-3, 15-8) may decide its postseason fate.
Four-time defending VOL champion East Union (10-2, 18-5) is now sixth in the power ratings and will have revenge in mind tonight when the Lancers host Weston Ranch. East Union did beat Manteca in their first meeting of the season, and the much-anticipated rematch is Thursday at Manteca’s Winter Gymnasium.
Teams have already been crowned in other league races in the area.
Outright VOL boys champion Weston Ranch (12-0, 22-2) will put its No. 4 seeding and perfect conference record on the line against No. 10 East Union (8-4, 14-9) Wednesday at home and at No. 9 Sierra (9-3, 18-6) Friday.
The league’s two-time reigning titlist, Manteca (5-7, 8-15), is out of the postseason hunt but can play spoiler against Sierra and EU this week.
In Division IV, Ripon High’s girls (8-2, 19-5) are in danger of not hosting a first-round game after last week’s blowout loss to fourth-seeded Modesto Christian — the Trans Valley League’s five-time champion. Ripon dropped a spot down to No. 9. The Ripon boys (8-2, 15-10) lost a competitive game to MC last Friday but and were also knocked down a rung to No. 6.
An upset up north helped Ripon Christian’s boys squad (12-0, 20-5) leapfrog Bradshaw Christian for the top seed in Division V. Bradshaw lost to Encina Prep last Friday while RC captured the outright Southern League championship.
The Lady Knights (10-2, 17-6), meanwhile, fell two spots to No. 7 because of their loss to SL champ Turlock Christian.
