Basketball Recap: Otay Ranch Beats Chula Vista for Their Seventh Straight Win

Mustangs

Previous Games

02/11/25 @ Chula Vista	64-34
02/07/25 vs Hilltop	62-28
02/05/25 @ Eastlake	42-20
02/01/25 vs Fallbrook	63-21
01/31/25 vs Chula Vista	63-27
+ 2 more games

Otay Ranch came tearing into Tuesday's contest with six straight wins (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 29.8 points) and they left with even more momentum. They blew past the Chula Vista Spartans 64-34. Given the Mustangs' advantage in MaxPreps' California basketball rankings (they are ranked 209th, while the Spartans are ranked 1132nd), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.

Otay Ranch was led to victory by Mackenzie Daffron and Serenity Salmond. Daffron went 6-for-10 en route to 14 points and seven steals, while Salmond posted eight points in addition to seven steals and five assists. Those five assists gave Salmond a new career-high. Malina Hernandez was another key player, putting up seven points and three steals.

They weren't the only ones working in the assist department: Otay Ranch was working as a unit and finished the game with 20 assists. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Chula Vista only posted seven assists.

Despite the defeat, Chula Vista saw an underclassman step up: freshman Tracy Echoku went 5-for-11 on her way to 14 points along with seven boards and four steals. Echoku is on a roll when it comes to steals, as she's now grabbed three or more in the last six games she's played. Nadia Perez also deserves some recognition as she scored her first points of the season.

Otay Ranch's win was their third straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 21-5. That said, the team wasn't facing the toughest opposition over that stretch, as it included 6-17 Eastlake and 7-18 Chula Vista (their opponents had an average overall winning percentage of 37.3% over those games). As for Chula Vista, they have traveled a rocky road recently having lost nine of their last 11 matchups, which has put a noticeable dent in their 7-18 record this season.

Otay Ranch wasted no time getting back out on the court and has already played their next game, a 59-43 victory against Eastlake on the 13th. As for Chula Vista, they have also already played their next contest, a 48-39 win against Hilltop on the 13th.