East Union stifled Manteca with zone defenses the last time these intra-city rivals faced off.

On Thursday, Oscar Calix’s counter to it in crunch time was simple — let Izabella Sanchez cook.

The 6-foot-1 senior had two key buckets and an assist in the final 4 minutes, as the Buffaloes mounted a 15-3 run to escape Dalben Center with a 53-47 victory that puts them in a first-place tie with EU in the Valley Oak League.

Limited by major knee injuries throughout her high school career, Sanchez — with a brace on her left leg — has been asked to fill different roles for Manteca (6-1 VOL, 20-4 overall). Often the primary ball handler and creator, she did her damage from the low post in the fourth quarter and finished with 10 points, 10 rebounds, five steals, four assists and two blocks.

Revenge was sweet for the Buffs, who lost to East Union 55-44 at home two weeks ago.

“We had to really learn from that loss, it taught us a lot,” Sanchez said. The Buffaloes had since worked on attacking East Union’s zone in practice.

“Honestly, I think it was so good for us,” Sanchez added. “It taught us how to play discipline and how to finish out games like this. We kept it close all game and were able to pull it out at the end like we knew we would because we worked for this moment.”

Jada Ikharo added 14 points, 10 rebounds and two steals for the Buffs, while Jaesha Dunn netted nine points and seven boards.  

East Union (6-1, 21-4) was led by sophomore forward Zyondupree Beasley, who accumulated 18 points, seven rebounds and two steals off the bench. Nylah Dyson had 11 points, four rebounds and four assists.

Beasley scored the Lancers’ final field goal — a strong finish after a driving from the base line — with 4:20 remaining, giving them a 44-38 lead. She hardly touched the ball since, as East Union struggled to navigate through Manteca’s pressure defense. The Lancers last three points came on free throws, hitting three of four attempts.

Manteca forced six turnovers in the fourth quarter and 19 overall.

“Manteca made plays, you gotta tip your hat,” East Union coach Jim Agostini said. “Down the stretch, they made the plays and we got a little loose with the ball.”

The Buffaloes scored eight unanswered points to take their first lead since midway through the second quarter. Ikharo sparked the comeback with an and-1 conversion, and Sanchez found Brea Vieira for an open 3-pointer. Sanchez then scored from the post to push Manteca ahead 46-44 with 2:11 to go and banked in a jump shot from the free-throw line with 50 seconds left to make it 50-46.

“We have Izzy, who is getting recruited by multiple colleges right now. We have to give her the ball,” Calix said. “Attack the middle, make them adjust, that way we can knock down shots once they collapse.”

He also gave a nod to Vieira, who had to come off the floor with a bloody nose early in the game. She finished with eight points including two 3s in the fourth quarter.

“Last game we saw them, we didn’t play our best game,” Calix said. “We were missing Brea, and she kind of is our brain. She controls the pace and she can knock down shots like she did tonight.”

East Union played its third game without junior center Alessandra Montes, who suffered a season-ending knee injury in a win over Kimball on Jan. 16. She’s the Lancers second-leading scorer and rebounder, and they struggled defending the post Thursday when 6-footer Donnese Payne (three points, eight rebounds, here steals, two blocks) got into foul trouble.

“Every team has to deal with adversity, and every injury hurts your team,” Agostini said. “Alessandra is a solid player for us, and that’s a punch. My team is trying to figure out how to do things without her, and I think we’ve done a pretty good job. “

There is still much to decide in the final three games of the regular season. East Union still has to close league with always-dangerous Kimball (5-2, 14-7) on Feb. 6

Manteca heads to Kimball next Tuesday and ends the regular season against Sierra (2-5, 13-11), which has given both the Buffs and Lancers fits this year.

Postseason seeding is also at stake.

Coming into Thursday’s games, East and Manteca were ranked 1-2 in Sac-Joaquin Section Division III, according to MaxPreps computer ratings.

“It was a must-win for them,” Agostini said of Manteca. “Now, we’re both tied for first place in league. These teams are ranked 1 and 2 in the section, and that might be the first time that’s happened in the 20 or so years I’ve been doing this. This was a hard-fought game between two very good teams, and we had a great atmosphere tonight for a girls basketball game.”

 

Junior varsity

East Union 35, Manteca 34

Bellah Crabbe knocked down a tough, go-ahead jumper from just inside the 3-point arc with seven tenths of a second remaining, completing a wild come-from-behind win.

Manteca led 29-21 after the third quarter, and then Crabbe caught fire. She hit three of her four 3-pointers in the fourth, finishing with 22 points.

Talia Shelborne and Naima Calderon paced the Buffaloes with 13 and 12 points, respectively.