Basketball Recap: Misael Palafox's Big Game Can't Quite Lead Alisal over Pacific Grove

Alisal was the 80-69 winner over Pacific Grove when they last played one another back in January, but their luck changed this time around. The Alisal Trojans took a 60-48 hit to the loss column at the hands of the Pacific Grove Breakers on Wednesday. While the Trojans didn't get the win, they did start the game off strong, beating the Breakers 11-7 in the first quarter.

Misael Palafox

Points

01/29/25 vs Pacific Grove	16
01/27/25 vs Palma	19
01/23/25 @ Oakwood	22
01/21/25 vs Everett Alvarez	16
01/17/25 @ Carmel	16
+ 6 more games

Several Trojans players turned in solid performances despite ultimately coming up short. Perhaps the best among those players was Misael Palafox, who dropped a triple-double on 16 points, ten boards, and ten assists. Palafox's evening made it 11 games in a row in which he has scored at least 16 points. Kike Jacinto was another key player, putting up 14 points and five rebounds.

Even though they lost, Alisal smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 30 offensive rebounds. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least 21 offensive boards in 12 consecutive games.

Pacific Grove found their leader in sophomore Andrew Nimri, who went 9 of 16 en route to 27 points. That makes it three consecutive games in which Nimri has scored at least a third of Pacific Grove's points. The team also got some help courtesy of Gabriel Valencia, who dropped a double-double on 15 points and ten boards.

Alisal's loss dropped their record down to 14-5. As for Pacific Grove, the win got them back to even at 9-9.

Alisal has already played their next contest, a 66-59 defeat against Monterey on the 31st. As for Pacific Grove, they also wasted no time getting back out on the court and have already played their next match, a 67-57 victory against Carmel on the 31st.