Handcuffed by foul trouble for much of the second half, Colby Veuve came through with the clutch plays for a Sierra team desperate for a win on Friday.
In the final 30 seconds, the senior forward made five of six free throws, grabbed a big-time defensive rebound and secured a last-second steal in the Timberwolves’ 55-50 upset victory over visiting rival East Union, which came into the game part of a four-way tie for first place in the Valley Oak League.
“I didn’t think they were really fouls, but I just try to stay up,” Veuve said. “I know I have to be there for my team.”
He finished with 14 points and nine rebounds. His pivotal defensive rebound came off a missed layup that would have given East Union (6-3 VOL, 17-7 overall) a one-point lead inside the final minute. The miss was a double whammy for the Lancers, as their best player, Lorenzo Jones, picked up his fifth foul while battling with Veuve for the loose ball.
East Union still had a chance to force an overtime period coming out of a timeout with 4.2 seconds to go. Veuve wound up tipping the inbounds pass intended for Ayande Johnson, and he grabbed it near the sideline before getting fouled. He knocked down the last of his free throws with 1.4 seconds left, capping the final score.
Sierra (2-6, 12-11) snapped a four-game slide and avenged a lopsided 67-36 loss to the Lancers back on Jan. 9. Senior point guard Romeo Callender led the T’wolves with 15 points and came out firing, scoring the first six points for his team. Foul trouble kept him off the floor for much of the second and third quarters, but hit a key 3-pointer early in the fourth followed by three free throws.
“They beat us bad last time; I just wanted to come out and make a statement and came out hot,” Callender said. “In the past (few weeks), we haven’t gotten the results wanted. Whatever our record shows, we’re better than that. We just have to keep going and get some more wins in the last couple weeks here.”
The win may have boosted Sierra’s chances to sneak into the postseason with an at-large berth. The top three teams in the VOL earn automatic bids, but the Timberwolves can get in with a top-15 rating in the Sac-Joaquin Section Division III rankings on MaxPreps. They entered Friday’s contest at No. 20.
All five of Sierra’s starters contributed to the big win.
Jordan Garcia had 11 points and six rebounds before fouling out, and Isaiah Revives joined him in double figures with 10 points. Center A.J. Chapman didn’t score but made things more difficult for the scrappy Lancers in the post. The 6-foot-6 center racked up 13 rebounds, seven on offense, and two blocks. He even had three assists, including a nifty touch pass on a give-and-go that resulted in a Veuve layup early in the second quarter.
“With Lorenzo on their team, we know he hits the boards hard,” Sierra coach Jalen Bourbon said. “In the first game (against East Union), we didn’t start A.J. so we made the adjustment. That’s what A.J. does best, is rebound. We had to keep Lorenzo off the boards, and A.J. did amazing.”
Jones led East Union with 16 points, 10 rebounds and four steals. Rico Johnson added 15 points and five rebounds. Ayande Johnson knocked down three 3s for all of his nine points. Salesi Toki pitched in with seven points, nine rebounds and five blocks off the bench.
Toki, a recent addition, anchored the Lancers’ comeback in the third quarter after they trailed 32-23 at halftime. The 6-3 junior transfer from Weston Ranch changed the game with his energy on both ends of the court.
“Salesi saved our butt a couple times with some huge blocks and great rebounds,” East Union coach Dutch Ell said. “That’s what he does. He flies around and is a spectacle out there. He’s fun to watch and he plays his heart out. With him being a late addition having to sit out (per transfer rules), it’s fun to see him get in his groove.”
His Lancers ultimately could not overcome their missed free throws and point-blank shots down the stretch. They finished 4-for-10 from the foul line in the fourth quarter and 10-for-21 overall, whereas Sierra hit nine of 11 in the final period and 13 of 19 in all.
“Missing that many free throws in a five-point loss is pretty tough,” Ell said. “And we drew up a play that got us a great look toward the end and the layup didn’t go in. But, you know, it’s more than just that — it’s the entire game. All credit to them, they came to play. They were flying around and hitting pretty tough shots. It’s always loud when we play here, and it’s a tough atmosphere to play in.”
East Union was ranked seventh in Division III and locked in a first-place tie with Central Catholic, Mountain House and Oakdale. Central Catholic (7-2) goes into the weekend a half game up on Mountain House (6-2), which was idle Friday.
East Union plays Hanford this morning at home for a non-league contest and welcomes Central Catholic next Friday, Feb. 6. Sierra has four league games left starting with Oakdale on the road next Tuesday.
“They put a wrench in our opportunity to maybe win a VOL championship, but you never know,” Ell said. “All we can do is show up every single day and see how the cards fall. We’ll keep fighting.”
