Basketball Recap: Mccluer South-Berkeley Falls Despite Big Games from Dylan Merkle and Mustafa Taylor

McCluer South-Berkeley and North County Christian faced off in a cross-town battle on Tuesday. The McCluer South-Berkeley Bulldogs fell just short of North County Christian by a score of 59-56. While the Bulldogs didn't get the win, they did start the game off strong, beating North County Christian 12-6 in the first quarter.

Despite the loss, McCluer South-Berkeley had strong showings from Mustafa Taylor, who went 11 for 16 en route to 24 points and eight boards, and Dylan Merkle, who dropped a double-double on 15 points and ten rebounds. Another player making a difference was Kameron Stowers, who posted five points and six boards.

Bulldogs

Offensive Rebounds

01/14/25 vs North County Christian	16
12/28/24 vs McKinley Classical Leadership Academy	12
12/20/24 vs Gateway Science Academy	9
12/28/24 vs KIPP	6
12/30/24 vs Tournament Opponent	4

Even though they lost, McCluer South-Berkeley smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 16 offensive boards. That's the most offensive rebounds they've managed all season.

McCluer South-Berkeley has traveled a rocky road recently having lost three of their last four contests, which put a noticeable dent in their 4-7 record this season. As for North County Christian, the victory was the fourth in a row for them, bringing their record for this year to 7-2.

McCluer South-Berkeley will be playing at home against Varsity Opponent at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. North County Christian has already played their next matchup (against Metro), but no score has been uploaded at the time of writing.