The Esperanza Aztecs won against the Caruthers Blue Raiders last Thursday with 58 points and they decided to stick to that point total again on Saturday. Esperanza slipped by Caruthers 58-57. Given Esperanza's advantage in MaxPreps' California basketball rankings (they are ranked 38th, while Caruthers is ranked 128th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Esperanza's win was a true team effort, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Madilyn Lam, who scored 14 points along with seven assists and seven rebounds. Lam has been hot recently, having posted two or more steals the last five times she's played. Another player making a difference was Alexa Muller, who scored 14 points along with five rebounds and two steals.
Esperanza's victory was their fourth straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 24-4. Those victories were due in large part to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 64.0 points per game. As for Caruthers, their loss ended a three-game streak of wins at home and dropped them to 17-7.
Both teams are looking forward to the support of their home crowds in their upcoming games. Esperanza will take on Valley View at 6:00 p.m. on Thursday. Hopefully Esperanza focused on turnovers this week since the team gave up 12 on Saturday. As for Caruthers, they will be playing at home against Chowchilla at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday. Caruthers knows how to get points on the board -- the squad has finished with flashy point totals in its past 14 matches -- so hopefully Chowchilla likes a good challenge.
