Basketball Recap: Friday's Loss Ends Imperial's Winning Streak

After a string of four wins, Imperial's good fortune finally ran out on Friday. They took a 43-39 hit to the loss column at the hands of the Calexico Bulldogs. Sadly, that's the second time they've come up short against the Tigers this season, as they also lost their prior matchup 68-37 back in December of 2024.

Imperial's defeat came despite a true team effort from the offense, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Marc Vitela, who posted eight points and 15 boards. Those 15 rebounds gave Vitela a new career-high. Duntell Carter was another key player, putting up nine points and five boards.

Calexico found their leader in sophomore Edgar Mendoza, who scored 21 points and four steals. Those 21 points set a new season-high mark for Mendoza. The team also got some help courtesy of Michael Duffy, who had nine points and five rebounds.

Imperial's loss dropped their record down to 8-8. As for Calexico, they are on a roll lately: they've won ten of their last 13 matches, which provided a nice bump to their 14-5 record this season.

Imperial will square off against Calipatria at 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday. Imperial is facing Calipatria at the right time seeing as Calipatria is stuck on a three-game losing streak. As for Calexico, they will face off against Vincent Memorial at 7:00 p.m. on Wednesday.