Basketball Recap: Aiden Matsuo's Big Game Can't Quite Lead Merced over Golden Valley

Merced suffered their closest loss since December 18, 2024 on Wednesday. They fell just short of the Golden Valley Cougars by a score of 49-46. While the Bears didn't get the win, they did start the game off strong, beating the Cougars 14-8 in the first quarter.

Aiden Matsuo

Steals

01/29/25 vs Golden Valley	3
01/24/25 vs Atwater	2
01/22/25 @ Buhach Colony	2
01/17/25 @ Los Banos	2
01/15/25 vs El Capitan	2

Several Bears players turned in solid performances despite ultimately coming up short. Perhaps the best among those players was Aiden Matsuo, who posted 11 points along with six rebounds and three steals. Matsuo is on a roll when it comes to steals, as he's now grabbed two or more in the last 11 games he's played. Another player making a difference was Valentin Vasquez, who went 5 of 12 on his way to 13 points.

The defeat snapped Merced's winning streak at three games and leaves them with a 14-9 record. As for Golden Valley, they have been performing incredibly well recently as they've won eight of their last nine contests, which provided a nice bump to their 17-6 record this season.

Both squads will have to hit the road in their upcoming games. Merced will head out to face off against El Capitan at 7:15 p.m. on Friday. El Capitan knows how to get points on the board -- the team has finished with 55 points or more in their past seven matchups -- so hopefully Merced likes a good challenge. As for Golden Valley, they will venture away from home to challenge Buhach Colony at 7:15 p.m. on Friday.