If Friday night’s 8th grade boys Manteca Unified Student Trust championship basketball game between Komure and Great Valley — two Weston Ranch High feeder schools — was any indication, the future of Cougars basketball is in good hands.
Both Komure and Great Valley put on quite a show at Manteca High’s Winter Gym, with Komure coming out on top, 49-46, thanks to a clutch layup from Eric Duncan with 14 seconds remaining in the second half.
Duncan finished with a game-high 20.
“The kids knew what was at stake,” Komure head coach Johnny Aguilar said. “I’m very proud of them. But props to Great Valley, we beat them by 15 in league, but we knew this was the championship and we knew they were going to play.”
Komure looked like it might run away with it in the first as Duncan’s triple at the 7:11 mark made it 21-6. But Bruin guard Zerrion Payton responded with seven straight points to close out the half and leave Great Valley down just 10 at 24-14 at the break.
Payton was brilliant in the second half, scoring nine of his 15 and turning in the play of the game, a behind-the-back assist off an inbounds steal that made the score 28-27, Komure, with 15 minutes left.
Up two with 10 left, Komure went on an 8-0 run culminating in a Daiveon Leverett layup from Ravon Alexander.
The Bruins answered with a 10-0 run, eight of which came from Devin Williams, to knot the score at 40 heading into the final four minutes.
Both sides exchanged buckets from there until Duncan’s heroics ended it.
Tyrus Rattler has 13 for Komure, Jailin Thompson had eight, and Leverett added seven.
Williams finished with eight for the Bruins, Na’im McGee had six, and Lucky Tango had five.
Both Komure and Great Valley put on quite a show at Manteca High’s Winter Gym, with Komure coming out on top, 49-46, thanks to a clutch layup from Eric Duncan with 14 seconds remaining in the second half.
Duncan finished with a game-high 20.
“The kids knew what was at stake,” Komure head coach Johnny Aguilar said. “I’m very proud of them. But props to Great Valley, we beat them by 15 in league, but we knew this was the championship and we knew they were going to play.”
Komure looked like it might run away with it in the first as Duncan’s triple at the 7:11 mark made it 21-6. But Bruin guard Zerrion Payton responded with seven straight points to close out the half and leave Great Valley down just 10 at 24-14 at the break.
Payton was brilliant in the second half, scoring nine of his 15 and turning in the play of the game, a behind-the-back assist off an inbounds steal that made the score 28-27, Komure, with 15 minutes left.
Up two with 10 left, Komure went on an 8-0 run culminating in a Daiveon Leverett layup from Ravon Alexander.
The Bruins answered with a 10-0 run, eight of which came from Devin Williams, to knot the score at 40 heading into the final four minutes.
Both sides exchanged buckets from there until Duncan’s heroics ended it.
Tyrus Rattler has 13 for Komure, Jailin Thompson had eight, and Leverett added seven.
Williams finished with eight for the Bruins, Na’im McGee had six, and Lucky Tango had five.
