Weston Ranch, Teevan defeat Manteca for school’s first Sac-Joaquin Section title

Jaelen Ragsdale flipped the ball toward the rafters as the final seconds ticked off the clock.

Moments later, Weston Ranch coach Chris Teevan clutched the Sac-Joaquin Section championship banner, rubbing the blue felt between his fingertips.

A journey years in the making, complete with dramatic leaps forward and a painful setback on this very stage, finally finished with the Weston Ranch boys basketball program on top.

One year after getting chased off the championship stage by a Valley Oak League rival, the Cougars returned to Sleep Train Arena to finish the job.

Four players scored in double figures as top-seeded Weston Ranch continued its mastery of Manteca with a 69-57 victory in the Division III final.

“The challenge in playing consistent and dedicated basketball, day in and day out, is a grind,” Teevan said. “This is the second year we’ve played six or seven months of basketball in-season.

“I played basketball and never won any type of championship. For me, this is a really good feeling. I’m happy these kids who come from the smallest community in Stockton are the biggest thing in that town tonight.”

The section title is the first for the Weston Ranch basketball program, which had lost its previous two appearances, including a 69-51 loss to Sierra last season.

The Cougars (27-4) exorcised those demons with a strong second half. Weston Ranch outscored the Buffaloes 36-24 over the final 16 minutes, busting open a game that had been tied 33-33 at the half.

Ragsdale finished with a team-high 20 points, knocking down 11 of his 14 free throws. D’Angelo Finley netted 17 and plunged the dagger into the Buffaloes with a three-pointer from the wing with under two minutes remaining.

Anthony Booker recorded a double-double, winning the battle of the big men. The 6-foot-11 transfer outplayed his counterpart – 6-10 Anand Hundal – and finished with 13 points and 14 rebounds.

Fred Lavender rounded out the balanced attack with 11 as Weston Ranch showed all its parts in a victory Beyer High graduate Teevan characterized as a “total team effort.”

Three-year starter Josh Dilg drew a charge and then swatted Dwight Young on a drive in the fourth quarter, a defensive play that sent Teevan stomping down the sideline in approval.

Earlier, reserve guard Darren Igarta connected on his first two three-pointers, helping the Cougars answer a 13-2 charge by the Buffaloes (25-6).

“I know for a fact that it’s hard to play for me and our coaching staff. We ask so much of them. We really do,” Teevan said. “You don’t win at a high level one on one or the (Cleveland Cavaliers) would have won last year. The Warriors with their versatility, kind of how they play is a little bit how we model (ourselves), just with the balance. We strive for balance, like we did with Anthony, D’Angelo and Fred. It’s hard to guard four or five threats on the court.”

It was the fourth straight victory for Weston Ranch over Manteca, a string of dominance that began in last season’s Division III semifinal.

Once again, the Buffaloes struggled to keep pace with the Cougars, whose confidence swelled with each possession. The Buffaloes managed just seven third-quarter points and Hundal, the team’s leading scorer, was a non-factor.

Hundal finished with just two points and six rebounds. His night was hampered by early foul trouble. He was whistled for two fouls in the first quarter and played less than seven minutes in the first half.

As a result, he never found his rhythm offensively and finished just 1 of 9 from the floor. Many of those shots were short.

“It’s tough. He’s a big piece of our puzzle. I feel for the kid. They played him tough and they let them bang around inside,” Manteca coach Brett Lewis said. “He got in foul trouble and got frustrated. That hurt us big time. He does a lot for us.”

Kenny Wooten did his best to pick up the slack. The Nevada-commit led all scorers with 26 points, 15 rebounds and four blocked shots. He scored 18 of Manteca’s 36 second-half points.

“That might have been Kenny’s best game of the year,” Lewis said. “He’s a next-level player and those guys step up. He had that look on his face and we needed it tonight.”

Tydus Verhoeven finished with 12 points, while Dwight Young had nine in the loss.

Befitting their rivalry over the last two years, this championship game between Manteca Unified schools was tied 33-33 at the half and featured six lead changes and four ties.

Manteca led by as many as seven twice in the second quarter, but Ragsdale drew Weston Ranch even with a floater with 3.8 seconds left. The Stanislaus State-bound point guard led all scorers at the half with 10 points, including a three-pointer.

The Buffaloes erased a four-point deficit with an 11-0 run to start the second quarter. Wooten scored six points during the surge, highlighted by a rebound and slam, and Young buried a three-pointer from the wing to make it 25-18.

Wooten looked comfortable on an NBA stage. The 6-foot-9 forward had eight points, five rebounds and two blocked shots through the first two quarters as the crowd begged the skywalking senior to “play above the rim.”

Young had a team-high nine points on 4 of 9 shooting, but was held scoreless in the second half.

“They’re a good basketball team and have a very good point guard. He was able to get them back on track. I think that was a big piece of it,” said Lewis, whose team turned the ball over 10 times in the second half. “We got a lead and couple of things went our way. It’s basketball — a game of runs. They made a couple of big runs late and we couldn’t answer.”

With Hundal on the bench, Booker enjoyed favorable match-ups on the low block. The 6-foot-11 center tallied seven points, five rebounds and two blocked shots in the first half.

Booker created his own opportunity in an offense designed to get the guards shots. His hustle and physical play was rewarded with yet another victory.

Weston Ranch improved to 18-1 since Booker became eligible.

“He’s a big key, a body, someone we didn’t have last year,” Teevan said.

The season continues for both programs with the CIF Northern California regional tournament, which begins Wednesday. The brackets will be announced Sunday evening.

Manteca remains confident despite Friday’s loss.

“We feel like we got a chance. We feel like we have an opportunity to make a run. Our preseason schedule hopefully sets up for a good seed,” Lewis said. “The possibility of seeing the Ranch again hopefully fuels our fire.”

Weston Ranch will savor this tournament title – and the feel of the blue felt between their fingers – before turning its attention to the start of another.

“I got to get them refocused, but we’ll celebrate this tonight and maybe this weekend,” Teevan said. “We want to keep making marks and keep it rolling. These kids love basketball. They don’t do anythign else, so that’s easy to coach.”

This story was originally published March 5, 2016 at 12:26 AM with the headline "Weston Ranch, Teevan defeat Manteca for school’s first Sac-Joaquin Section title."