The Weston Ranch Varsity basketball team takes the floor tonight at WRHS and will host Kimball of Tracy. All three levels will play with the Freshman beginning at 4, the JV will follow at 5:30, and the Varsity will tip it off at 7 pm. The Cougars have a tough two-game stretch this week as they not only face a challenging opponent in Kimball but also take on Manteca this Saturday. Although Kimball is 10-11 overall and 2-4 in league play, the Jaguars always play tough and have several outstanding players. The Buffaloes of Manteca currently are enjoying a 3-game win streak and sit in third place in the VOL with a record of 4-1.
Currently, our Cougars are 20-1 overall, 5-0 in league play, and riding a 19-game win streak. An early-season loss to Mitty High School is the only blemish on our outstanding record. Nationally, Weston Ranch is ranked #69, ranked #18 in the state, #4 in Division 3, #2 in the Sac-Joaquin Section, and #1 in the Sac-Joaquin Division 3 section. Impressive accolades and well-deserving. However, there is still plenty of work to do, and the rest of the road will not be easy to travel.
As he reflected on the season, Head Coach Chris Teevan said, “Our team goals for this week are to focus on the foundations. They got away from us a little bit last Saturday against Grant. (Weston Ranch defeated Grant 66-60 at Grant) For the first time, we gave up 60 points and had a lot of turnovers. We need to get back being a detail-oriented team who values the ball at all costs and plays good defense.”
Although they are in the middle of a magical run, Teevan also was cautious about his team’s approach to this week. “Obviously, Kimball and Manteca are the biggest obstacles this week. They’re two great teams who present tremendous challenges to us. We’ve played Kimball before, and they know our style. Playing Manteca on a Saturday is something we’re not used to, and that will be an adjustment we’ll have to make.”
The Cougars are led offensively by Donjae Lindsey (15.7 points per game), Gavin Wilburn (11.5), Mi’Son Coilton (9.4), and Devin Small (8.6). All four contribute to the Cougars’ team scoring average of 65 per game. Defensively, it is a collective team effort. The Cougars are relentless on defense and seem to have a knack for shutting down opponents like flipping a switch.
“The ‘switch’ is definitely there,” mused Teevan when asked to respond. “We consistently speak during practice and games about playing with great focus and intensity. Obviously, it’s a great team dynamic to have that ability to get to the next level during the games.”
Junior Gavin Wilburn agreed with Teevan. “I think we need to play more consistent defense. Once we do that, we’re going to be much better.”
How good are the Cougars? There’s still another round of league games yet to play, but Teevan is optimistic.
“The team is on par with my expectations. I always think we can win every game. We, as players and coaches, go into every game with that expectation. We had the game at Mitty where we did not meet our expectations. Other than that, we’ve been outstanding. We still have many goals to meet and the things we want to accomplish.”
Let’s hope our Cougars continue to meet their goals and give us something to continue to cheer. The game tonight is in the Cougar gymnasium. Let’s fill the stands and root on the team.
