Basketball Recap: Avenal Comes Up Short

Avenal lost against Coalinga back in January and unfortunately they wound up with the same result on Thursday. The Avenal Buccaneers were outmatched by the Coalinga Horned Toads and fell 58-14. While losing is never fun, the Buccaneers can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' California basketball rankings (they are ranked 1152nd, while the Horned Toads are ranked 299th).

It was another big night for Jaelyn Bourdeau, who went 10 of 17 en route to 22 points and eight rebounds for Coalinga. What's more, Bourdeau also racked up two blocks, the most she's had since back in January of 2024. Another player making a difference was Paulina Benitez, who almost dropped a double-double on 11 points and nine boards.

Avenal has traveled a rocky road recently having lost nine of their last ten matches, which put a noticeable dent in their 7-12 record this season. As for Coalinga, they are on a roll lately: they've won 16 of their last 17 contests, which provided a nice bump to their 21-3 record this season.

Avenal will be playing in front of their home fans against Firebaugh at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday. Firebaugh's defense has only allowed 29.5 points per game this season, so Avenal's offense will have their work cut out for them. As for Coalinga, they didn't take long to hit the court again: they've already played their next game, a 54-51 defeat against Edison on the 1st.