Basketball Recap: Emerald Comes Up Short

Emerald played a tough contest on Tuesday in which they were outscored in every quarter. They were outmatched by the Deer Valley Wolverines and fell 87-54. The Aerouants were down 64-43 at the end of the third quarter, and things only got worse from there.

Despite the loss, Emerald saw an underclassman step up: sophomore Justin Kramer shot 60% from the field en route to 15 points and three steals. Nikhil Pant was another key player, putting up nine points.

Deer Valley got their victory on the backs of several key players, but it was Marcellis Thomas out in front who dropped a double-double with 21 points and ten rebounds. Thomas also grabbed five steals, which is notable because the Wolverines are undefeated when he posts at least three steals, but 2-3 otherwise. Another player making a difference was Raja Dunbar, who went 7-for-15 to rack up 17 points in addition to five assists and three steals.

Emerald has traveled a rocky road recently, having lost four of their last five matchups. That's put a noticeable dent in their 2-5 record this season. As for Deer Valley, the win (which was their fourth in a row) raised their record to 5-3.

Emerald has already played their next game (against Balboa), but no score has been uploaded at the time of writing. As for Deer Valley, they also wasted no time getting back out on the court and have already played their next contest, a 79-58 defeat against Fremont on the 17th.