Basketball Recap: Del Norte Gets the Win

Taylor Benitez

Steals

12/02/25 vs St. Joseph Academy	7
11/24/25 vs San Diego	3
11/20/25 vs La Jolla	3
11/25/25 @ El Capitan	2
11/21/25 vs La Costa Canyon	2
+ 1 more games

Del Norte won the last time they faced St. Joseph Academy and Taylor Benitez did her part to make sure it happened again. The Nighthawks took their contest on Tuesday with ease, bagging a 79-50 victory over the Crusaders with plenty of help from Benitez, who went 8-for-13 on her way to 24 points along with seven steals and five boards. Del Norte is 2-1 when Benitez posts three or more steals, but 1-3 otherwise.

When it comes to explaining why St. Joseph Academy lost, don't look at Malia Sampson. Despite the final result, she shot 42% from the field en route to 32 points in addition to six rebounds and four steals. Another player making a difference was Lauren Elsner, who posted nine points.

Del Norte's win bumped their record up to 3-4. As for St. Joseph Academy, their defeat dropped their record down to 0-2.

Del Norte didn't take long to hit the court again: they've already played their next game, a 52-51 loss against Rancho Buena Vista on the 4th. As for St. Joseph Academy, they have also already played their next matchup, a 33-29 defeat against Mira Mesa on the 5th.