Austin Barnes provided the offensive punch in the second half, while William Brown did the job defensively in the Manteca boys basketball team’s 58-52 win over visiting Kimball on Tuesday.

Barnes accounted for 16 of the Buffaloes’ 25 points in the final two quarters, finishing with a game-high 20. Rehan Awan and Madden Melendez contributed 12 points apiece. Brown added nine, but his main task was to limit Tristen Debenedetti, who paced the Jaguars (3-2) with 16 points.

“William Brown held Debenedetti below his average,” Manteca coach Geoff Israel said. “Tristen was a big focus for us defensively. Last year he hit five or six threes on us, so we wanted to make sure he didn’t go off. Will did a good job not letting him get any 3s.”

Manteca (2-1) next plays Rocklin to start the Rocklin Varsity Tip-Off on Thursday starting at 3:30 p.m.

Mountain House 78, Ripon Christian 52

With two starters out with injuries from football, the Knights opened their season against the reining Valley Oak League champion on Tuesday.

Mountain House (2-2) shot out to a 16-3 lead and repelled a second-quarter surge before breaking it open with its pressing defense. The Mustangs led 48-33 at halftime and outscored RC 16-6 in the third period.

Third-year standout Jake Vander Veen did all he could to keep Ripon Christian in it, scoring 22 points. Mountain House countered with 6-foot-7 center Jordan Williams’ 26 points. Ryan Payton and Braylon Major pitched in 14 points each for the Mustangs.

Ripon Christian plays Big Valley Christian in the Ron Peterson Tip-Off Classic at Riverbank on Thursday.

GIRLS BASKETBALL

East Union 55, Franklin 29

The Lancers (2-1) had nine different scorers and were led by Ava Barrera’s 13 points and five rebounds at Dalben Center.

Zyondupree Beasley added 10 points and eight rebounds, while Kymoni Beasley had nine points and five boards.

Seniyah Mitchelle spearheaded Franklin (3-2) with 11 points. Nicci Belasco and Carmen Walker did the rest of the scoring for the Yellowjackets with nine points apiece.

East Union opens the Golden Valley Tournament with Merced on Thursday.

Ripon Christian 51, Denair 36

Ripon Christian (1-1) used a 19-6 third quarter to break away and earn the first win for new coach Connor Kennedy.

Hayley Kootstra drained two 3s and led the Knights with 10 points, Rhian Heuvel and Vanessa Orozco scored eight points each.

Ripon Christian will compete in the four-day Downey Tournament starting next Wednesday, Dec. 10 against host Downey.

GIRLS SOCCER

Manteca 2, Summerville 1

The Buffaloes (2-0) escaped Tuolumne thanks to Makayla Spencer’s go-ahead goal in the second half. It was an immediate answer to Mother Lode League champion Summerville’s equalizer on a set piece.

Manteca’s Kailee Jackson broke the scoreless tie early in the second half.

“They were fast, physical and had a tough back line, so they were hard to break down,” Manteca coach Justin Coenenberg said. “It was a really good test for us.”

Manteca hosts Sonora on Thursday.

Gregori 4, Sierra 0

In Modesto, Sierra (1-1) took its first loss of the season, while Gregori (2-0) notched another shutout win.

The Timberwolves were held to 12 shot attempts, five on goal. Freshman goalie Ava Bonilla had six saves. In the JV game, Sierra scored two second-half goals for a 2-1 victory.