Basketball Recap: Minarets Comes Up Short

Minarets won a close one the last time they played, but unfortunately they suffered a serious change of fortune on Friday. They were beaten by the Sierra Chieftains 65-20. While losing is never fun, the Mustangs can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' California basketball rankings (they are ranked 1289th, while the Chieftains are ranked 285th).

Despite the defeat, Minarets saw an underclassman step up: sophomore Savannah Garabedian posted 16 points.

Sierra was led to victory by Aleeawa Badoni and Lexi Valle. Badoni dropped a double-double on 20 points and 12 steals, while Valle went 6 for 15 on her way to 16 points along with six assists and four steals. The dominant performance gave Badoni a new career-high in steals. Another player making a difference was Taryn Esajian, who put up 13 points and five boards.

Minarets' loss dropped their record down to 3-11. As for Sierra, they pushed their record up to 14-6 with the victory, which was their fourth straight at home.

Minarets wasted no time getting back out on the court and has already played their next matchup, a 60-22 defeat against Parlier on the 21st. As for Sierra, they also didn't take long to hit the court again: they've already played their next game, a 52-32 win against Yosemite on the 21st.