Recap: Rio Americano Raiders vs. Justin Garza Guardians
On Friday, Rio Americano had to suffer through a rough 56-17 loss at the hands of Justin Garza. Rio Americano was in a tough position after the first half, with the score already sitting at 32-5.
Despite the loss, Rio Americano still got an impressive performance from Areyana Francies, who scored six points. Francies scored a full 35.3% of Rio Americano's points, the third time in a row she's earned more than a third of the team's points.
Justin Garza's success was the result of a balanced attack that saw several players step up, but Tyla Maxey led the charge by scoring 16 points. Maxey continues to roll, besting her previous point total in each of the last three games she's played. Another player making a difference was Miyah Parker, who scored 12 points.
Rio Americano has been struggling recently, as they've lost four of their last five matchups, which put a noticeable dent in their 4-10 record this season. As for Justin Garza, the win got them back to even at 9-9.
Rio Americano is on the road again on Friday and play against West Valley at 4:00 p.m. on December 29, 2023. West Valley presents a significant challenge as they come into the match much higher ranked than Rio Americano in California (West Valley is ranked 137th, while Rio Americano is ranked 910th). Justin Garza and Mission Oak will face off at 4:00 p.m. on January 3rd without much rest after finishing up games yesterday.