Basketball Recap: Sophia Cervantes Leads a Balanced Attack to Beat Mercy

There's no place like home for Crystal Springs Uplands, who bounced back after a loss on the road last Friday. They narrowly escaped with a victory as the squad sidled past the Mercy Bears 31-28. The Gryphons haven't had any issues with the Bears recently, as the game was their fifth consecutive win against them.

Sophia Cervantes

Rebounds

02/11/25 vs Mercy	9
01/21/25 vs Harker	9
01/24/25 vs Eastside College Prep	8
01/28/25 @ Mercy	6
12/13/24 vs Design Tech	6
+ 10 more games

Crystal Springs Uplands got their victory on the backs of several key players, but it was Sophia Cervantes out in front who almost dropped a double-double with nine points and nine rebounds. Cervantes has become a key player for Crystal Springs Uplands: the team is 2-1 when she posts at least eight boards, but 6-7 otherwise. Another player making a difference was Aanya Rangachary, who posted eight points and nine rebounds.

Defeat or not, Mercy got some senior leadership from Clare O'Brien and Amira Festejo-Rivera. O'Brien scored seven points in addition to ten boards and seven steals, while Festejo-Rivera put up ten points and three steals. That's the most rebounds O'Brien has posted since back in February of 2024.

The win got Crystal Springs Uplands back to even at 8-8. As for Mercy, they have been struggling recently as they've lost eight of their last nine matchups. That's put a noticeable dent in their 7-9 record this season.

Crystal Springs Uplands has already played their next contest, a 32-20 loss against Eastside College Prep on the 13th. As for Mercy, they also didn't take long to hit the court again: they've already played their next game, a 61-15 defeat against Castilleja on the 14th.