Bill Slikker saw a big piece of the puzzle come together Wednesday for his Lathrop High boys sophomore basketball team.

At Manteca, his Spartans came away with a 52-48 Valley Oak League victory.

“It was good to see us hold on for a win on the road,” Slikker said. “As a team, they hadn’t been there (before).”

But that all changed.

Lathrop (1-2, 4-6) rallied for 27 points in the second period led by Mikey Pereznegron, who netted 19 of his game-high 28 points in the quarter.

Teammate Nilo Yusor chipped in with 15 while Darrius Hill added 8.

Down 37-22 at the break, the Buffaloes mounted a threat in the second half led by Nick Obazuage and Miguel Lopez, who finished with 11.

Obazuage had 15 to lead Manteca (2-1, 6-5).

In the closing minutes, the Buffaloes came back to make it a one-point game, 48-47.

But the Spartans secured the win during the final seconds on Hill’s coast-to-coast layup and crucial rebound.

“I was proud of the way we came back, “said Lathrop coach Neil McDannald. “In the end, we just ran out of gas.”


The first-place Timberwolves nearly let a sizeable early advantage go down the drain at Oakdale on Wednesday.

“We jumped out to a 20-8 lead after the first and had 12-point edge with five minutes left when (the Mustangs) hit some big shots to make it close,” said Sierra coach Justin Muschott.

He was forced to put back in his starters.

The Timberwolves closed things out with D’ari Allen, who had 6 points, throwing down a slam dunk.

Emmanuel Elijah led Sierra (3-0, 11-1) with a 17. Justin Patton added 12.


The Lancers scored 69 points after the first period, knocking off host Kimball on Wednesday.

They were paced by Jesus Esquivel, who had a game-high 19 points.

East Union (2-1, 11-3) also played strong defense, with Louie Cruz spearheading the charge, according to coach Jeff Lund.

In the third, the Lancers went ahead, outscoring Kimball, 29-15.

“We had a lull in the first quarter,” Lund said. “But after that we came on strong,”

Aaron Ramos and Tyrus Rattler also contributed to the victory, scoring 17 points each.


Felix Buenrostro connected on seven 3s to pace the Cougars attack.

He finished with 27.

Weston Ranch (2-1, 5-6) opened up with an 11-1 lead and never looked back.

Defensively, the Cougars were led by Matt Kemnut’s all-out hustle.

In addition, Lucky Tango netted 15 points and had seven assists. Sean Zisteros finished with 10.


The Buffaloes used a dominant second quarter to pull past the visiting Spartans on Wednesday.

Alex Jorgensen and Steven Ruble led the way for Manteca High, finishing with 7 points apiece. Teammate Billy Sharmoug chipped in with 6 for a balanced scoring attack.

Manteca (3-0, 6-4) will try and remain perfect in VOL play, traveling to Sonora on Friday to take on the Wildcats.


From the second period on, the Timberwolves maintained their advantage over host Oakdale.

Sierra (3-0, 10-1) kept its share of first-place in the VOL thanks to Carlos Quintanilla’s 12 and Marquis Agee’s 8.


Jake Danhoss scored a game-high 22 points in leading the Lancers to a VOL win.

Behind 40-34 at the intermission, East Union (2-1, 8-3) unleashed its offense in the second half, relying on big men such as Danhoss and Clay Cuneo, who added 17.

The Lancers will host Oakdale on Friday.




Allison Walljasper netted 15 points and gathered 13 rebounds to send the Timberwolves past the visiting Mustangs in the Valley Oak League clash on Tuesday.

Valerie Nestor chipped in with 14 points and 12 boards.

In addition, Asia Cortez hauled in eight boards and registered four blocks.

Sommer Anderson led Oakdale with 9 points.


The Buffaloes improved to 2-1 in the VOL with the victory at Lathrop.

Jessica Hasal led the way for Manteca with 26 points.

Claudia Aguila chipped in with 10 while McKenna Balmut and Abbie Bueler both had 8.