The Manteca Buffaloes posted their closest win yet this season on Tuesday. They sure made it a nail-biter, but they managed to escape with a 55-53 victory over Sierra. Given Manteca's advantage in MaxPreps' California basketball rankings (they are ranked 171st, while Sierra is ranked 500th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Jada Ikharo continued her habit of posting crazy stat lines, scoring 22 points along with eight rebounds and eight steals. The team also got some help courtesy of Michailla Springs, who scored 12 points along with two steals.
Sierra's defeat came despite a true team effort from the offense, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Taylor Zalunardo, who scored 19 points. As a matter of fact, that's the most points Zalunardo has scored all season. Mya Everett was another key contributor, scoring ten points.
Manteca has been performing incredibly well recently as they've won six of their last seven games, which provided a nice bump to their 17-4 record this season. As for Sierra, they are on a four-game losing streak that has dropped them down to 11-10.
Manteca will look to defend their home court on Thursday against Kimball at 7:30 p.m. As for Sierra, they will head out on the road to challenge Central Catholic at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday. Central Catholic is coming into the match on a three-game losing streak.
