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Twolves squeezes Tokay for win
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Sierras Jaedon Malone drives on Tokays Jack Gobel in a 75-40 non-league win for the host Timberwolves on Saturday. - photo by DAVE CAMPBELL/The Bulletin

Having endured some tough losses in six of the last eight games coming into Saturday night’s home contest with Tokay of Lodi, Sierra wasted little time setting the tone in its last non-league tilt Saturday by taking a 45-12 halftime lead on the way to a 75-40 win.  

“This was kind of what the doctor ordered,” Timberwolves coach Scott Thomason said. “We wanted to come out and be scrappier today and compete, pressure the ball defensively and mix it up, keeping them off balance.

“We want to make sure we are playing our best basketball coming into league. Everyone is 0-0 and everyone is beatable, so we want to make sure we are ready to go and ready to compete when league starts on Wednesday night.”

Sierra (5-8) outscored the Tigers (3-12) 26-4 in the second period.

“I thought the second quarter was outstanding basketball,” Thomason said. “We were sharing the ball, running our lanes hard, being aggressive and taking good shots.

“I saw some really good things tonight. Obviously a lot of people contributed and that was good. I thought John Elijah brought a lot of energy to us and played very well.”

Elijah flirted with a double-double for the Timberwolves, scoring 15 points and grabbing eight rebounds.

“I just try to do whatever my team needs me to so we can win,” Elijah said. “Whatever that takes, I’m going to do.

“It was nice to get a win on the home court.”

Jaylen Jackson (nine points) and Ryan Borgeson (13 points) each had three of Sierra’s nine 3-pointers. 

“We needed a win and it was nice to get it at home,” Borgeson said. “It helped get our confidence up.”

The Timberwolves won the battle of the boards 33-15 and dished out 20 assists with Jaime Ochoa (four points, four steals) getting 10 assists for Sierra.

Mohammad Ibrahim led Tokay with 14 points. 

Sophomore

Sierra 83, Tokay 46

Cyere Randle led the Timberwolves with 17 points.

David Kakala and Ryan McCullough added 12 points each for Sierra.

Freshman

Tokay 57, Sierra 32

Noah Ramil and Sonny Elder paced the Timberwolves with eight points each.

Modesto Christian Holiday Hoop Classic

Consolation championship

Ripon 61,

Freedom of Oakley 58

The Knights (8-6) outscored the Falcons (7-7) 23-13 in the fourth quarter Saturday for their third straight win of the tournament. 

Ripon had big fourth periods in all three of its tournament wins. 

Adam Wood hit two 3-pointers and Kyle Sisk one for nine straight points from behind the arc to give the Indians the lead. Sisk buried two free throws in the closing seconds to ice the game for Ripon. 

“With both Manteca and Buchanan in our second and third-round games, we were tied midway through the fourth quarter,”   Indians coach Rod Wright said. “And we outscored Freedom 28-13 in the fourth quarter to get this win.

“Kyle Sisk had a good tourney all the way around.”

Sisk mad the all-tournament team and scored 15 points. Troy Brogan, one of two sophomores on the squad, added 13 points and Vincent Olmo chipped in 10. 

“It is good getting to see the three sophomores (Brogan, Danny Hernandez and Nico Ilardi) grow up,” Wright said. “It’s been small steps with one big step in this tournament.”

15th place 

Manteca 60, Turlock 55

Trailing by two points at halftime, the Buffaloes (4-9) bounced back for the win. 

Gino Campiotti led Manteca with 12 points followed by Matthew Ender (six rebounds) with 11, Jorge Cedano (eight rebounds) with nine and Kyle Bolding with eight. Jordan Burciaga pulled in eight rebounds for the Buffaloes. 

Garrett Johnson of the Bulldogs (4-7) led all scorers with 18 points.