The Verdugo Hills Dons will take on the Canyon Cowboys at 4:00 p.m. on Monday. Verdugo Hills is strutting in with some offensive muscle as they've averaged 55.4 points per game this season.
Canyon will be up against a hot Verdugo Hills team: the squad just extended their winning streak to three. Verdugo Hills blew past Chavez 68-28 on Friday. With the Dons ahead 47-14 at the half, the contest was all but over already.
| 01/17/25 @ Chavez | 4 |
| 01/15/25 vs Grant | 5 |
| 01/06/25 @ Trinity Classical Academy | 4 |
| 12/30/24 vs Valencia | 4 |
| 12/28/24 vs Temple City | 3 |
Verdugo Hills' success was the result of a balanced attack that saw several players step up, but Rayleen Castanos led the charge by dropping a double-double on 14 points and 11 boards. Castanos is also on a roll when it comes to steals, as she's now grabbed two or more in the last seven games she's played. Another player making a difference was Nicole Olivera, who went 6 of 10 en route to 13 points.
Verdugo Hills smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 12 offensive boards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least ten offensive rebounds in three consecutive matchups.
Meanwhile, Canyon was within striking distance but couldn't close the gap on Friday as they fell 58-52 to Saugus. The Cowboys have now taken an 'L' in back-to-back games.
Despite the loss, Canyon saw an underclassman step up: freshman Darby Dunn dropped a double-double on 15 points and ten rebounds. The team also got some help courtesy of Shannen Wilson, who went 7 for 15 on her way to 16 points and five boards.
Verdugo Hills is on a roll lately: they've won five of their last six games, which provided a nice bump to their 12-4 record this season. Those victories came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 56.3 points per game. As for Canyon, their defeat dropped their record down to 10-12.
Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: Verdugo Hills has been crashing the rebounds this season, having averaged 34 boards per game. However, it's not like Canyon struggles in that department as they've been averaging 30.7 rebounds. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge.
Verdugo Hills might still be hurting after the 64-44 loss they got from Canyon in their previous matchup back in December of 2021. Can Verdugo Hills avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
