Basketball Recap: Jayden Mendoza's Big Game Can't Quite Lead Santa Ynez over North

Santa Ynez and North squared off in some playoff action on Wednesday, but Santa Ynez had to settle for second. The match between them and the North Stars didn't end well, with the Santa Ynez Pirates falling 61-43. While losing is never fun, the Pirates can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' California basketball rankings (they are ranked 437th, while the Stars are ranked 178th).

Santa Ynez lost despite a true team effort on offense. The best among them was Jayden Mendoza, who posted 11 points. Mason Skidmore was another key player, putting up nine points.

Santa Ynez's loss dropped their record down to 19-9. As for North, the win (which was their third in a row) raised their record to 25-6.

Santa Ynez does not have any more games scheduled as of now. As for North, it'll be Northside v. Southside when they and South meet at 6:00 p.m. on Friday. North knows how to get points on the board -- the squad has finished with 55 points or more in their past eight games -- so hopefully South likes a good challenge.