Basketball Recap: Rowland Wins Going Away Against Santa Ana

Rowland's tournament run continued when they took on Santa Ana on Saturday. Everything went the Rowland Raiders' way against the Santa Ana Saints as the Rowland Raiders made off with a 64-42 win. Given the Raiders' advantage in MaxPreps' California basketball rankings (they are ranked 352nd, while the Saints are ranked 919th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.

Santa Ana's defeat came despite a true team effort from the offense, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Alejandro Lopez, who posted 12 points. Another player making a difference was Aaron Rivera, who had nine points.

Rowland has been performing incredibly well recently as they've won six of their last seven matches, which provided a nice bump to their 11-5 record this season. The wins came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 60.9 points per game. As for Santa Ana, they are on a six-game losing streak that has dropped them down to 4-12.

Both squads will have to hit the road in their upcoming games. Rowland will have some time to savor their victory since their next game is a little ways off: they'll take on Covina at 6:30 p.m. on January 7, 2025. As for Santa Ana, they will head out on the road to square off against Valencia at 6:15 p.m. on Friday. Valencia will roll in looking for their fourth straight win, something Santa Ana surely won't give up without a fight.