The growth of the Oakdale varsity boys basketball program has been visible this season. Although Oakdale’s record (7-12, 1-6) may not indicate it in Valley Oak League action, the team has made leaps and bounds on the hardwood. This past week, however, Oakdale fell to Manteca (8-11, 4-2) 64-57 on Wednesday, Jan. 17 on the road. Friday night, in front of the home fans, Oakdale fell to Sierra (9-10, 4-2) by a 45-44 final, ending the week with the heartbreaking loss.

In the road loss senior guard Drew Legan scored a team high 28 points. Fellow seniors Jace Krick and Marc Dickson scored eight and seven points, respectively. Legan carried over his momentum to Friday night and scored a game high 29 points in the loss.

The first half was low scoring and the Mustangs trailed 17-13 at the half. In the third quarter Oakdale outscored the Timberwolves 18-11 to take a 31-28 lead into the final eight minutes. During the fourth quarter of the game, it was a see-saw battle that featured three ties, and three lead changes. A lay-up by Marc Dickson with 1:52 remaining gave Oakdale a 42-39 advantage. Dickson finished with 13 points. The Timberwolves tied the game at 44 with a three-point shot with 1:13 remaining. With 17 seconds left the Timberwolves had the ball and then they drew a foul with time running out. Sierra’s Eduardo Jasso missed his first attempt and the crowd erupted. However the senior forward connected on the second attempt to give the visitors a one point lead and ultimately the win.

Oakdale looks to shrug off the difficult loss when they host first place Central Catholic (17-2, 6-0) on Wednesday, Jan. 24 at 7 p.m. Friday night the team travels to Manteca to take on East Union (4-15, 0-6). Oakdale defeated East Union earlier this season, 54-43.

JUNIOR VARSITY

The junior varsity team suffered a pair of losses this past week when they fell to Manteca 58-49 and 59-54 to Sierra. Freshman Jonah Norman scored 19 points for Oakdale in the road loss to Manteca and Jason Rawe finished with a dozen. At home Oakdale led the majority of the night, including taking a 33-22 halftime lead. Oakdale gave up the lead with 5:43 remaining in the contest and then tied the game at 50 with 3:46 remaining. Sierra was a few points better down the stretch, taking the win. Oakdale hosts Central Catholic on Wednesday and will take on East Union on the road Friday night. Both games are scheduled for 5:30 p.m.

FRESHMEN

The youngest of the three boys hoops teams continued their winning ways as they were victorious in both of their Valley Oak League games this past week. Oakdale defeated Manteca on the road 47-44 and returned home for a 50-32 victory over Sierra on Friday night. Robert Silva scored 12 points against Manteca. At home, Oakdale held the Timberwolves to just five points in the third quarter to help pull away. Leading the way for the team were Zach Alosio with 13 and Izayah Perez with 11. Oakdale enters this week with a perfect 6-0 league record and will host Central Catholic on Wednesday, Jan. 24 and travel to face East Union on Friday evening. Both games are scheduled for 4 p.m.