Verhoeven, Young clutch for Manteca in Holiday Hoop Classic opener

Tydus Verhoeven has been a fixture in Manteca’s starting lineup for the last three seasons.

Dwight Young has been on campus for only four months.

Together, Young and old kept the Buffaloes’ season-long winning streak intact with a 79-76 victory over Freedom in the first round of the Modesto Christian Holiday Hoop Classic on Saturday.

Verhoeven rattled in his first career game-winning field goal, a spinning, one-handed floater with 2.9 seconds left, and Young finished with a game-high 25 points off the bench.

Manteca is now 9-0 on the season and gunning for its second consecutive tournament trophy.

The Buffaloes captured the Running with the Pack event at Cosumnes Oaks last week and entered the prestigious early-season event ranked No. 40 in the state, according to MaxPreps.

Hoisting the trophy at the Holiday Hoop Classic will require a much cleaner performance than Saturday’s opener. The Buffaloes, who will play the winner of Modesto Christian-Turlock in Monday’s second round, overcame 26 turnovers and blew an 18-point lead before Verhoeven and Young’s late-game heroics.

“This was one of the better teams we’ve played thus far,” Manteca coach Brett Lewis said. “We showed how we could really play in the first 14 minutes of the first half. We had a couple of opportunities to go up 20-plus, but they’re a good basketball team and battled back and forced us into bad mistakes.

“This is what we wanted. We wanted to get tested and we wanted to get pushed. We’re trying to find out what we really need to work on.”

Young scored 10 points in the fourth quarter, including seven of the Buffaloes’ final nine points. He buried a deep three-pointer with 54 seconds left and then swished two free throws to give Manteca a 75-71 lead.

Freedom answered with five points in a five-second span to take a 76-75 lead with 11 seconds remaining. Manteca was beaten on an in-bounds play for a long three-pointer and then fouled Rodrick Godfrey while wrestling for a rebound.

Godfrey hit both of his free throws, setting the stage for Verhoeven’s first career game-winner.

The 6-foot-8 junior dribbled the length of the floor, backing his man down on the block. As the clock ticked down, he spun back toward the paint and bounced his shot in off the back iron with 2.9 seconds left.

“We were looking to get the ball downcourt; trying to get down as fast as possible and get a good shot. That’s my first time hitting that kind of shot – a game-winner,” said Verhoeven, who finished with 13 points, seven rebounds and two blocked shots. “All my teammates worked so hard during the game, I was just trying to get the win for them.”

Freedom was assessed a technical foul for calling a timeout without any time left, sending Young back to the free-throw line. The junior transfer from Lincoln High made both shots, sealing Manteca’s ninth straight victory.

“When I came into the game, I came in mentally prepared for a hard-fought game,” Young said. “I was able to bring up the ball, (and) take control of the game. That’s what I came in to do – take control of the game.”

Young began the season as the team’s starting point guard, but has become an invaluable piece off the bench.

His energy, speed and marksmanship carried Manteca to an 18-point lead in the first half. Young had eight points in the first quarter and 15 at the half. He finished with five three-pointers for the game.

“He’s just a sparkplug. He comes in off the bench and starts hitting shots. He’s another good ballhandler for us and a good decision-maker,” Verhoeven said. “We need that coming off the bench.”

Fellow guard Frankie Lopez also had five three-pointers, including back-to-back treys to stymie Freedom’s run at the end of the third. Manteca led 59-54 heading into the fourth.

Anand Hundal had 10 points, six rebounds and six blocked shots. Nevada-bound forward Kenny Wooten had eight points and left the game twice with a leg injury.

Freedom’s speed and full-court press neutralized Manteca’s overwhelming height advantage, forcing Lewis to look elsewhere for support.

He found it on the bench in Young.

“We moved him to coming off bench to try to give us a little bit of a spark about middle of the first quarter or early in a game,” Lewis said, “and he definitely did that today.”

Weston Ranch 61, McClymonds 56

Holiday Hoop Classic fans will remember Weston Ranch’s Jaelen Ragsdale.

The Stanislaus State-bound point guard was the tournament’s second-leading scorer last year, averaging nearly 25 points per game.

Ragsdale picked up where he left off, pouring in a game-high 28 points as the Cougars (8-1) beat McClymonds for the second time in 16 days.

Weston Ranch rebounded from a sluggish start, using a 13-2 run late in the third quarter to close to within 45-44.

The Cougars outscored McClymonds 17-11 over the final eight minutes. Chedrick Ordonez’s three with 2:07 remaining gave Weston Ranch a 57-54 lead, completing the comeback.

Weston Ranch is coached by Chris Teevan, a former Beyer High and Modesto Junior College standout.

Fred Lavender had 18 points in the win. Lavender, a 6-2 senior guard, will join Ragsdale at Stanislaus next fall.

Centennial (Bakersfield) 90, Pleasant Grove 60

Joel Melton and Malcolm Johnson combined for 48 points to lead Centennial, which led 51-31 at the intermission.

Melton finished with 27 points on 7-of-11 shooting from beyond the 3-point line. Johnson had 21.

Arjen Dhillon paced Pleasant Grove with 22 points.

Salesian 78, Buchanan 43

At 6-9 with guard skills, Buchanan’s Donovan Mitchell can do it all. But the Bears’ first-round opponent, Salesian, demanded more than a one-man show.

The Pride started on a 17-3 tear and shot 60 percent from the floor in the first half, building a 46-18 lead at the intermission.

Nine different players scored in the victory. The Wake Forest-bound Mitchell finished with a team-high 10 points, but was lifted early in the third quarter and never returned.

Immanuel 68, Saugus 63

Three players scored in double figures for Central Section power Immanuel, who seized control with a 13-2 flurry in the third quarter.

Darrin Person Jr. talled 23 points and 16 rebounds, while point guards R.J. Horn and Colin Slater II scored 18 and 16, respectively.

Long Beach Poly 69, Gregori 42

Playing without Hawaii-bound guard Drew Buggs, Long Beach slowly distanced itself from Gregori.

The Jaguars proved pesky at the start, scoring the first five points on slicing layups by Brandon Waterford (13 points) and racing out to an 8-2 lead.

The Jackrabbits wouldn’t panic, though. Zafir Williams led all players with 19 points and 10 rebounds and Long Beach Poly outscored Gregori 41-20 over the final 16 minutes.

Demetrius Vinson had 15 points and seven rebounds in the loss.

This story was originally published December 26, 2015 at 8:30 PM with the headline "Verhoeven, Young clutch for Manteca in Holiday Hoop Classic opener."