MODESTO — East Union came into its game at Central Catholic with a chance to secure at least a share of a seventh straight Valley Oak League title on Thursday.
The Lancers came up short, 59-48.
It’s the first league loss of the season for East Union (9-1, 21-5 overall), which is tied atop the league standings with the Raiders (10-1, 23-1) at one loss apiece. EU has two games remaining, while Central Catholic ends with third-place Sierra on Feb. 12.
“What you saw tonight was two really good basketball teams battle it out,” East Union coach Jim Agostini said.
Three weeks ago, they played a classic that saw East Union give the Raiders their first loss of the season 62-58 in overtime.
“We knew they would come out motivated after what happened at our place,” Agostini said. “Credit to them; they got on us early and made more plays than we did that, in the end, were too much to overcome.”
It was the Lancers that jumped out to a 7-2 lead behind strong offensive rebounding contributing to second-chance points. Defensive pressure from both sides forced seven turnovers from the opposing offense in the opening quarter. Six points in the paint from Raider sophomore center Mia Cardoza helped cut the Lancer lead to 9-8 heading into the first break.
East Union standout Ava Barrera picked up two tough fouls in the quarter, forcing her to go to the bench for the rest of the half.
Central Catholic head coach Alison Murata Nichols seemed to make adjustments during the first break, as her team came out and attacked the East Union 2-3 zone. After a Zyondupree Beasley (eight points) layup made it 15-13 Lancers, Central Catholic went on a 14-2 run highlighted by three three-point baskets to go with six points in the paint to help the Raiders take control of the game and a 30-19 lead into halftime.
Central Catholic’s young core was at the heart of the run for the Raiders, with freshman Marissa Garcia (nine points) connecting on two of her three 3s on the night.
“Credit to them; they knocked down some shots there in the second quarter,” Agostini said. “They were getting into our zone and their players were making the right passes to find open looks, which happens when you play a good, well-coached team.”
East Union would not go quietly in the second half. Shebra Rezaye poured in nine of her game-high 22 points in the third quarter to help the Lancers stay in the game. An Ava Barrera (nine points) put-back cut the lead to five late in the quarter, but in what would be a theme throughout the second half, each time East Union made a mini run, Central Catholic had an answer usually in the form of Cardoza. A Rezaye runner cut the Raider lead to seven, 44-37, going into the fourth quarter.
“Shebra has made big plays for us all season long,” Agostini said. “She kept us within striking distance in the second half.”
Any hope of a Lancer comeback were dealt a huge blow as Central Catholic came out in the fourth quarter and scored a quick five points highlighted by Garcia’s third 3 of the game. East Union would battle back to cut the lead to six with less than two minutes to go, but went cold down the stretch as the Raiders iced the game at the line to complete the victory in a game that was much closer than the final score indicated.
“I just told these girls nothing that happened tonight has any effect on the goals that we set out to accomplish at the beginning of the season,” Agostini said. “We set out to win another league title and make a deep playoff run, and we can still do all of that.”
If the Lancers win their last two games, they are guaranteed at least a share of the league crown. They’ll head to Oakdale to take on the Mustangs on Tuesday, before coming home to the Dalben Center to host Manteca on senior night on Thursday.
Junior Varsity
East Union 36, Central Catholic 23
East Union pulled away late with a big 19 point fourth quarter to defeat the Raiders 36-23. Camille Christensen led the Lancers with 14 points, while Kalani Jackson scored nine.
