Corning comes up short despite Roman Bennett's strong performance

By Team Reports Feb 9, 2024, 9:49am

Recap: Corning Cardinals vs. Las Plumas Thunderbirds

The Corning Cardinals fought the good fight in their overtime game against the Las Plumas Thunderbirds on Tuesday but wound up with a less-than-desirable result. They fell to the Thunderbirds 49-45. Corning was given a dose of their own medicine in this game as Las Plumas apparently hadn't forgotten their loss the last time these teams played back in January.

When it comes to explaining why Corning lost, one person who can't be blamed is Roman Bennett. Despite the final result, he scored 15 points along with eight rebounds and five assists. Bennett is on a roll when it comes to steals, as he's now grabbed two or more in the last four games he's played. Another player making a difference was Jeff Mendros, who scored 14 points.

Martin Soria continued his habit of posting crazy stat lines for Las Plumas, scoring 19 points along with five rebounds. Frankie Causey was another key contributor, dropping a double-double on ten points and 11 rebounds.

Corning dropped their record down to 11-13 with that defeat, which was their third straight at home. The slump could be explained by some tough opposition over that stretch, namely Las Plumas, Gridley, and Orland. As for Las Plumas, they have been performing well recently as they've won nine of their last 11 contests, which provided a nice bump to their 18-9 record this season.

Both teams will have to hit the road in their upcoming games. Corning will take on Orland at 7:30 p.m. on Friday. Hopefully Orland focused on turnovers this week since the team gave up 15 on Tuesday. As for Las Plumas, they will head out on the road to challenge Gridley at 7:30 p.m. on Friday. Gridley knows how to get points on the board -- the squad has finished with flashy point totals in its past 13 contests -- so hopefully Las Plumas likes a good challenge.