Kirk Simoni hit a corner trey in the closing seconds to give East Union a hard-fought 55-53 victory at Sierra on Friday.

"That was huge," said Lancers coach Dalton Ell of Simoni's clutch 3. "He hit an exact game-winner earlier this year in a preseason tournament."

At the same time, it was another heart-breaking loss for the Timberwolves, who remain winless in Valley Oak League play.

"We've lost so many close games this year," Sierra coach Eddie Morales said. "We've competed, even though our record doesn't show it."

The Timberwolves (0-5 VOL, 5-14 overall) came close to posting a win over their crosstown rivals East Union (3-3, 11-9).

Using pressure defense spearheaded by the likes of Lucas Dimas Garcia, Braydon Mckenzie, and Colby Veuve, Sierra managed to make it a one-possession game in final two minutes.

The Lancers' Cody Camarena hit a straight away 3 to give his team some breathing room down the stretch.

Sierra kept it close thanks to free throws by Dimas Garcia and a spin move to the hoop by Veuve.

With 26 seconds left in regulation, EU turned the ball over on an inbound pass.

The Timberwolves turned to junior guard Romeo Callender.

"We had a hard time stopping him," said Ell. "He made several big shots."

But none was bigger than the one with about 17 seconds left on the clock. Callender swung around and delivered a baseline jumper, giving Sierra its first lead of the evening, 53-52.

"We didn't want to give them anything inside the paint," said Morales on setting up his defense.

East Union had been tough inside, especially with Lorenzo Jones having 12 rebounds including four on the offensive glass to go with his nine points.

Simoni, as a result, was left with open shot, delivering on the game-winning shot.

The game was also close during the early goings.

Tied 14-14 in the second quarter, East Union went on a 12-0 run in the aftermath of a Sierra technical foul — Simoni got it going by hitting both free throws.

The Lancers were sparked by a pair of treys by Vincent Hudson and Cody Camarena, as the Lancers took a 26-14 lead.

The Timberwolves, however, bounced back with an 8-2 rally to close out the half, 28-22.

Callender was the top scorer with a game-high 17 points.

Collins Schluer chipped in with 14 points, seven boards, and a block.

Camarena led East Union with 10 points.

Ell complimented his team's unselfishness on offense, with 10 players contributing to the score.

More importantly, he was pleased with the way his guys battled back.

Ell added: "Our guys don't quit. Here at East Union, we do not quit."