Basketball Recap: Sacramento Takes a Loss

If Sacramento was feeling good fresh off their 57-29 takedown of Rodriguez last Tuesday, their most recent game may have dampened their spirits a bit. The Sacramento Dragons took a 47-41 hit to the loss column at the hands of the Pioneer Patriots. Unfortunately, that's the second time they've come up short against the Patriots this season, as they also lost their prior matchup 53-48 back in January.

La Ne Dunn

Points

02/14/25 @ Pioneer	24
02/11/25 vs Rodriguez	25
02/07/25 @ Fortune Early College	18

Despite the loss, Sacramento still got an impressive performance from La Ne Dunn, who dropped a double-double with 24 points and 16 boards. The game was Dunn's third in a row with at least 18 points. Another player making a difference was Chrisshaya Haygood, who posted six points in addition to three steals and three blocks.

Even though they lost, Sacramento smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 16 offensive rebounds. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least 15 offensive boards in three consecutive matchups.

Pioneer's success was the result of a balanced attack that saw several players step up, but Angeleyis Medina De La Fuente led the charge by dropping a double-double with 16 points and ten rebounds. The dominant performance gave Medina De La Fuente a new career-high in points. The team also got some help courtesy of Marissa Bautista, who put up two points along with 14 boards, six steals, and four blocks.

Sacramento's defeat dropped their record down to 19-9. As for Pioneer, their victory was their sixth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 13-12.

The two teams are set to take part in some playoff action in their next matches. Sacramento will be playing at home against Calaveras at 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday. That contest will pit two of the most dominant guards against one another: Dunn and Mariah Maddock. As for Pioneer, they will head out to challenge East Union at 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday. East Union will roll in looking for their 11th straight win, something Pioneer surely won't give up without a fight.