Preview: East Bakersfield Blades vs. Rosamond Roadrunners
The East Bakersfield Blades will head out on the road to face off against the Rosamond Roadrunners at 6:00 p.m. on Wednesday. East Bakersfield is no doubt hoping to put an end to a four-game streak of away losses.
Winning is just a little bit easier when you outrebound your opponent 19 to 7 on the offensive boards, a fact East Bakersfield proved on Thursday. They enjoyed a cozy 50-33 win over West.
East Bakersfield got their victory on the backs of several key players, but it was Saryah Webster out in front who dropped a double-double on 22 points and 13 rebounds. It was the first time this season that Webster scored 15 or more points. Esmeralda Roman was another key contributor, scoring ten points along with six rebounds and six steals.
East Bakersfield used a slightly different lineup for their bout with West. Three players got more time on the court than they're used to: Aryona Harris (31), Webster (30), and Roman (30). The trio had averaged 14.23, 14.29, and 15.05 minutes respectively before Thursday's game. The new lineup might be seeing more playing time going forward considering the group combined for a total of 36 points and five assist.
Meanwhile, Rosamond came tearing into Thursday's match with seven straight wins (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 26.4 points) and they left with even more momentum. They came out on top against Desert by a score of 38-29.
Rosamond's win was a true team effort, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Abigail Cardoza, who scored ten points along with two steals. The team also got some help courtesy of Rihanna Williams, who scored 12 points along with two steals.
East Bakersfield's victory bumped their record up to 15-13. As for Rosamond, they have been performing incredibly well recently as they've won ten of their last 11 contests, which provided a nice bump to their 20-7 record this season.
East Bakersfield came up short against Rosamond in their previous matchup back in February of 2023, falling 43-36. Thankfully for East Bakersfield, Amber Jordan (who dropped a double-double on 14 points and 19 rebounds) won't be suiting up this time. Will that be enough to change the final result? There's only one way to find out.
