Whittier Christian falls despite strong effort from Ariana Botello

By Team Reports Jan 27, 2024, 9:35pm

Recap: Whittier Christian Heralds vs. Village Christian Crusaders

It was a good run, but the Whittier Christian Heralds unfortunately witnessed the end of their five-game winning streak on Wednesday. They fell to Village Christian 70-64. Whittier Christian has struggled against Village Christian recently, as their game on Wednesday was their fourth consecutive lost matchup.

When it comes to explaining why Whittier Christian lost, one person who can't be blamed is Ariana Botello. Despite the final result, she scored 34 points along with three steals. As a matter of fact, that's the most points Botello has scored all season. Another player making a difference was Jatniel Cabrera, who scored 20 points along with five rebounds.

Leading Village Christian to victory were Bryanne Lopez-wood and Alanna Neale. Lopez-wood dropped a double-double on 16 points and 15 rebounds, while Neale dropped a double-double on 23 points and 14 rebounds. Lopez-wood is on a roll when it comes to steals, as she's now grabbed two or more in the last 12 games she's played. Madison Mulligan was another key contributor, scoring 14 points along with five rebounds.

Whittier Christian's loss ended a four-game streak of away wins and brought them to 16-7. As for Village Christian, they pushed their record up to 18-3 with that win, which was their fourth straight at home.

Whittier Christian will take on Village Christian at 6:00 p.m. on Friday. Hopefully Village Christian is not getting complacent, as they presents a significant challenge as they come into the match much higher ranked than Whittier Christian in California (Village Christian is ranked 24th, while Whittier Christian is ranked 320th). As for Village Christian, they will head out on the road to square off against Whittier Christian at 6:00 p.m. Whittier Christian knows how to get points on the board -- the squad has finished with flashy point totals in its past six matches -- so hopefully Village Christian likes a good challenge.