Basketball Recap: Santa Rosa Academy Takes a Loss

Santa Rosa Academy has been a dominant force so far, but they're in the middle of a mini-slump at the moment. They were one points away from ending the streak, but they lost a 52-51 heartbreaker at the hands of the Citrus Hill Hawks. The Rangers lost against the Hawks in their previous head to head back in January of 2024, too, but the margin this time around was much closer than the 63-33 score last time.

Austyn Hopkins and Cory Moore certainly did their best on Tuesday to avoid the loss. Hopkins dropped a double-double on 16 points and 11 boards, while Moore went 6 of 11 on his way to 16 points and six boards. Those 16 points gave Moore a new career-high. The team also got some help courtesy of Mycah Mason, who posted 13 points and seven rebounds.

Multiple players turned in solid performances to lead Citrus Hill to victory, but perhaps none more so than Kason Steward, who almost dropped a double-double on 14 points and nine boards. Jerren White was another key player, putting up eight points along with eight rebounds and four steals.

Santa Rosa Academy's defeat dropped their record down to 11-5. As for Citrus Hill, they have been performing incredibly well recently as they've won ten of their last 11 contests, which provided a massive bump to their 12-6 record this season.

Santa Rosa Academy will host California Lutheran at 6:30 p.m. on January 7th. California Lutheran will roll in looking for their fourth straight victory, something Santa Rosa Academy surely won't give up without a fight. As for Citrus Hill, they will venture away from home to challenge Paloma Valley at 5:15 p.m. on January 7th.