CIF State Championships: Manteca wins first state championship

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Manteca is a football school, according to those round campus. The city, once known for its agriculture, is now associated with race car driver Scott Speed, its massive water park, late actor Dennis Weaver and plenty of quality softball.

And, at last, after an impressive and emphatic 60-51 win over Ayala (Chino Hills) in the Division III state finals at Sleep Train Arena, the Buffaloes may now officially be considered a basketball Mecca.

In the biggest game of their young lives, Manteca shot a blistering 59 percent from the field, outrebounded a supremely quick squad 45-23 and blocked 12 shots, nine from raw 6-foot-8 now Nevada bound Kenny Wooten Jr.

In just his fourth year of playing the game, the high-flying senior put together one of the finest games in Division III championship history, with 26 points and 18 rebounds.

Add in 11 points and 12 rebounds by 6-8 junior Tydus Verhoeven and nine points and 11 rebounds by 6-9 senior Anand Hundal, and the Buffaloes (29-6) led wire-to-wire, racing to an 8-0 lead and fighting off the furious pace of Ayala (33-4), which forced 25 turnovers and took a remarkable 31 more shots than the winners.

All of it brought a tear to the eyes of second-year Manteca coach Brett Lewis, a native of the community who has seen it evolve into a round ball way of life.

"It's insane," Lewis said. "I grew up here and I never imagined this. I can't wrap my head around it."

Either coach Ayala coach John Mounce, who said his team had trouble shooting — 20 of 70 — not because of the renowned depth perception problems at the large arena.

"But because we had a tough time shooting over their size," he said. "It wasn't just a 6-2 guy running out on our guys. They had long 6-8 players running out."

Despite Manteca's long reach and a big deficit — the Buffaloes led by 20 in the second quarter — Ayala made a game of it closing to within three in the fourth quarter behind 21 points by John Edgar and 17 from Miles President.

But back-to-back buckets by Hundai had Manteca in control for good to the delight of a large student body which largely escorted the team from campus.

"We've felt so loved," Lewis said. "These guys have helped bring the community and school together. The city has had our backs."

Verhoeven said he was so touched by the fan support, "I was afraid we weren't going to be able to get into game mode."

Jumping to an 8-0 lead, that wasn't a problem. Holding the lead wasn't easy, but the Buffaloes had more than enough. A 45-23 edge on the boards helped.

Despite the hole, cold shooting and rebound problems, Ayala made it a game.

"We had a good run," President said. "It was fun."

Said Edgar, a 6-5 senior, who made 8 of 22 shots en route to team-high honors: "That's one of the most athletic teams we've played against. They are hard to score over."