Basketball Recap: Yucaipa's Win on Thursday Extends Winning Streak to Three

Yucaipa won the last time they faced Citrus Valley and things went their way on Thursday too. The Yucaipa Thunderbirds walked away with a 58-47 win over the Citrus Valley Blackhawks. Given the Thunderbirds' advantage in MaxPreps' California basketball rankings (they are ranked 249th, while the Blackhawks are ranked 616th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.

Yucaipa got their victory on the backs of several key players, but it was Jaxon Lerma out in front who dropped a double-double on 16 points and 12 boards. That's the most rebounds Lerma has posted since back in January. Another player making a difference was Malik Young, who posted 13 points in addition to eight rebounds and five assists.

Yucaipa was working as a unit and finished the game with 14 assists. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Citrus Valley only racked up eight assists.

Citrus Valley's defeat came despite a true team effort from the offense, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Carmine Amaya, who put up ten points. The team also got some help courtesy of Kayden Gaines, who had six points.

The win was the third in a row for Yucaipa, bringing their record for this year to 8-3. Those victories came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 66.7 points per game. As for Citrus Valley, they are on a four-game losing streak that has dropped them down to 5-6.

Yucaipa wasted no time getting back out on the court and has already played their next matchup, a 72-52 victory against Victor Valley on the 20th. As for Citrus Valley, they will be taking part in a tournament against South Gate at 3:30 p.m. on Thursday. Citrus Valley is strutting in with some offensive muscle as they've averaged 51.4 points per game this season.