TRACY — East Union got a sneak preview of what’s to come in the Valley Oak League on Thursday.
The Lancers were matched with Kimball in the first round of the West Holiday Tournament, and they withered down the stretch in a 53-45 defeat. The Jaguars (8-3) were able to bother them with their length and depth, subbing in five fresh players every 4-5 minutes.
East Union (6-4) was able to hang with them in a back-and-forth affair, but could only score two points in the final 3 minutes of the game.
“Just (took) quick shots,” EU guard Anthony Sy said. “They’re a transition team, and it was kind of hard to run with them late. They have five rotations, so it’s pretty hard to run with them, and we have a couple guys out sick. We just have to work harder and be dogs.”
Sy tried to help carry the load, hitting four 3-pointers on his way to a game-high 21 points. He also had six rebounds and two blocks. Dylan Lee finished with 15 points, seven rebounds and four steals. Alex Cervantes pitched in five points, five assists and three steals. Ian Metcalf provided some defensive energy off the bench and came up with six steals.
Nine different Jaguars scored and were led by Jayden Richardson’s 15 points.
East Union coach Dutch Ell would like to see more patience in the half-court offense and scoring balance, but he also recognized the problems Kimball posed for his shorthanded squad.
“They have numbers and they have some athletic kids, and they came out with the fire,” Ell said. “We put ourselves in a position to win, but when crunch time came we made a couple wrong decisions. I’m proud of the kids’ effort to be put in that position, and I’m proud our kids for fighting until the last second. It’s just a couple crunch-time opportunities that didn’t fall our way, but it’s a long season and I believe that we’ll get ourselves there.”
Neither team led by more than three points until the third quarter, when Kimball rattled off six unanswered points for a 29-25 advantage with 4:31 left. The Jaguars were up 38-31 going into the fourth, but East Union did well to stay within range.
Metcalf’s put-back layup knotted it at 43-43 with 3:29 to go, but the Lancers could not score again until Lee made a tough layup in the final minute. Kimball ended with a 6-0 run, getting four made free throws from Richardson. East Union settled for rushed 3-point attempts in its last four possessions.
“I think that’s a matchup that’s going to be fun to watch the next two times we play them,” Ell said. “I believe in our team, and we’re going to make a swing in league, as well. I’m also a firm believer in learning from tests. Having a game like this early in the season really teaches you a lot about your team.”
The Lancers will look to right the ship today against Leadership Public Schools of Hayward starting at 4 p.m.
