Basketball Recap: Monroe Comes Up Short

Monroe lost against Verdugo Hills back in January and unfortunately they wound up with the same result on Friday. The Vikings were dealt an 81-50 defeat at the hands of the Dons. The Vikings just can't catch a break and have now endured three losses in a row.

Jordan Vargas produced another solid effort going 9-for-13 en route to 24 points and four steals for Verdugo Hills. With that strong performance, Vargas is now averaging an impressive 15.1 points per game. The team also got some help courtesy of Jeffrey Moran, who posted 18 points in addition to five assists and five rebounds.

Monroe's defeat dropped their record down to 1-4. As for Verdugo Hills, their win ended a six-game drought on the road dating back to last season and puts them at 4-5.

Monroe will take on Arleta in a holiday battle at 4:00 p.m. on Monday. The Vikings will be up against the Mustangs' rather soft defense (which has allowed 65.7 points per matchup), so fans could be in store for a big offensive performance. As for Verdugo Hills, they didn't take long to hit the court again: they've already played their next contest, a 69-48 loss against Crescenta Valley on the 13th.