Basketball Recap: Palm Desert Comes Up Short

After a string of five wins, Palm Desert's good fortune finally ran out on Wednesday. They were dealt a 73-26 defeat at the hands of the Shadow Hills Knights. While losing is never fun, the Aztecs can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' California basketball rankings (they are ranked 405th, while the Knights are ranked 87th).

Several Aztecs players turned in solid performances despite ultimately coming up short. Perhaps the best among those players was Katelyn Gallagher, who posted eight points and five steals. Gallagher is on a roll when it comes to steals, as she's now grabbed two or more in the last 40 games she's played dating back to last season. Ava Tethal was another key player, putting up eight points.

Shadow Hills found their leader in sophomore Skylah Archer, who dropped a double-double on 19 points and 20 rebounds. What's more, Archer also racked up two blocks, the most she's had since back in January of 2024. Another player making a difference was Rosalee Guiterrez, who scored 14 points.

Palm Desert's loss ended a four-game streak of wins at home and dropped them to 15-8. As for Shadow Hills, the victory (which was their eighth in a row) raised their record to 21-4.

Palm Desert has already played their next contest, a 54-48 win against Twentynine Palms on the 31st. As for Shadow Hills, they also wasted no time getting back out on the court and have already played their next matchup, a 39-38 defeat against Redondo Union on the 1st.