Forty years ago, on January 12, 1976, sparked by a pair of 1975 graduates, Dana Taylor and Chris Elliott, the East Union High alumni overcame a 14-point deficit in the final three minute s to edge the EU varsity cagers 63-62 at Dalben Center. The two former Lancer guards combined efforts to score 14 of the 19 fourth-quarter point s for the alumni. Taylor paced all alumni players with 12 points, while Elliott, last year’s top EU scorer, finished with 10 points. Ron Hamamoto was high scorer for the Lancers with 13 points and Steve Aufdermaur followed with 12 points.

In other sports stories

from the Bulletin files:

80 years ago: January 16, 1936 – The University of California’s 130-pound varsity cagers trampled Manteca High 51 to 25 in a practice game Monday night on Manteca’s floor. The Bears led throughout, except when the Buffaloes tied the score at 22 in the third period. Ed Bobson was Manteca’s high scorer with seven points.

70 years ago: January 17, 1946 – Leading  throughout the entire game only to be edged out in the final minute s, Manteca High dropped its second league basketball game to Edison High here Friday night by a score of 17 to 14. Highpoint man for the Buffaloes was Curt Patterson, who scored seven point s.

60 years ago: January 19, 1956 – Sonora High’s deadeye shooting scored themselves a 58-43 victory over visiting Manteca High Friday night. Lane Richmond totaled 13 points for the Buffaloes. Richmond has only one game remaining this season as he is ineligible for the second semester.

50 years ago: January 19, 1966 – Sonora High posted a 65-49 win over Manteca High. John Newton had 14 points to take highpoint honors for the Buffaloes. John Tubbs was the only other Buff to get into double figures in the scoring column as he scored 11 points in a losing cause.

40 years ago: January 14, 1976 – The Manteca High soccer team rolled merrily on its way atop the Mid-Valley League last week with a 4-2 win over Modesto High Friday afternoon in the southern city. Jon Steele scored a pair of first-half goals for the Buffaloes and then the second half showed Dan Gwinnup and Nino Gatti scoring for the Buffs.

Rebounding from a season-opening loss to Davis High of Modesto, the East Union High soccer team surprised the Spartans 1-0 Friday in Modesto. It was the first victory in seven tries in the league for the Lancers. Carlos Herrera scored for EU.

With a 44-point outburst in the second half, the Manteca High cagers buried Sonora High 77-63 Tuesday night.

30 years ago: January 14, 1986 – The Manteca High girls’ basketball team played its finest game of the season in losing a thriller to Modesto High in overtime, 78-77. The Lady Buffs’ Joette Lucas scored a game-high 30 points and hit a 20-footer at the buzzer to send the game into overtime. They also got double-figure scoring from Michelle Gale and Mary Foehringer (12 points each), and Lissa Dixon (11 points).

The East Union High matmen found the Sonora High wrestlers a little more than they could handle as the Wildcat s won all but four matches by pins and coasted to an easy 69-0 victory.

East Union High stopped a comeback attempt by the Livingston High girls to turn back the Lady Wolves 57-53 in a league game on Monday. Stacy Lee led the Lady Lancers’ scoring with 18 points and Tracy Lee followed with 13 more.

Manteca High shocked the area Tuesday night with a surprising 50-45 victory over host Modesto High. Andy Hulsebosch scored the game-high total with 14 points, while Rob Van De Pol had 13.

The East Union High cagers topped Livingston High 66-50 Tuesday night in a league game. The Lancers had four players score in double figures—Mark Waterman and Harold Breckenridge with 15 points each, Gary Kron with 14 and Raul Cudal coming off the bench with 10.

Manteca High’s soccer team won the first round of the Battle for Manteca Friday, defeating East Union High 4-3 on goals by Steve Perez and Tim Hamm in the final eight minutes of play. EU scored first on goals by Gary Taylor and Jim Green. MHS countered with a free kick goal by Melvin Armstrong. The Buffaloes went ahead in the second half as Armstrong scored on a penalty kick and Jose Perez lined a 35-yarder into the goal net.

Manteca’s James Matas is floating on air this week because he was selected by the Milwaukee Brewers in baseball’s free-agent draft on Tuesday. Matas, a student at Modesto Junior College, is a 6-foot, 185-pound right-handed pitcher.

20 years ago: January 13, 1996 – Bryan Lucas scored 45 points and Manteca High held off Sierra High in an 82-78 win over a pesky and determined Timberwolf five last night at Winter Gym. Sierra, playing at the varsity level without a senior class, blistered the Buffalo defense for a 44-36 lead at halftime. James Ward added 17 point s to the winning total. John Thomson paced the T’wolf scoring with 18 points, Russell Stewart added 17 and Daniel Touchstone collected 15 for SHS.

East Union High scorched the nets early on, but it was Ripon Christian High’s torrid shooting in the second and third quarters that was the difference in the Lady Knights’ 62-53 girls’ basketball victory in Dalben Center Saturday night. EU forward Angel Naylor netted 10 points to top the Lady Lancer scoring. The team committed 24 turnovers in the game.

The Ceres High wrestling team handed out a few lessons in defeating Sierra High 60-12 this week at SHS. The T’wolves gave up five forfeits, but Josh Daley (125) and David Castro (152) pinned their opponents.

The injury-plagued East Union High wrestling team ended a one-month drought with a flurry of pins en route to a 51-18 VOL victory over Bear Creek High in Stockton Thursday afternoon. The Lancers, who had lost four straight matches, registered seven pins in the win. Coach Dudley Kinlaw’s EU matmen, now 10-5 on the season, were led by pins from Kyle Westmoreland (140), Conrad Karlson (145), Mike Adams(152), Josh York (160), Greg Murray (171), Manuel Lua (189) and Carlos Herrera (215).

10 years ago: January 19, 2006 – East Union High’s basketball team got into a rhythm early in the game with Sierra High and went on to down the Timberwolves 48-35 Wednesday night. Steffen Spinks led the Lancers’ scoring attack with 16 points and grabbed eight rebounds. Jordan McDaniel added 12 points to the wining total. Sierra’s Michael Elder netted a game-high 19 points in a losing cause.

Reigning Valley Oak League co-champion East Union High dropped a 34-25 win on the Sierra High girls in basketball action last night, the first EU win over the Lady T’wolves in more than three years. Kelly Farrell led the EU charge with a team-high nine points. Tatiana Dellafosse matched that nine-point total with nine counters of her own to pace the SHS quad. The Lancer defense forced 31 Sierra turnovers in the contest.

Fresh off its shocking upset of East Union High last week, the Manteca High girls’ basketball team continued to change its fortune Tuesday with a 55-44 runaway VOL victory at Weston Ranch High. Alex Gonzalez paced a balanced Manteca attack with 12 points, while Christina Verdugo tallied a season-high 10 points off the bench.

With East Union High forfeiting five matches, Manteca High wrestlers hammered EU 52-28 in VOL action Thursday night at Dalben Center. Buffalo pins were by Seth Davis (152) and Richard Twohy (171), while the Lancer pins were by Matt Lloyd (140) and David Rosenow (160).