Basketball Recap: Misael Palafox's Big Game Can't Quite Lead Alisal over Carmel

After flying high against Salinas last Tuesday, Alisal came back down to earth. The Alisal Trojans fell 63-55 to the Carmel Padres on Thursday. The Trojans have struggled against the Padres recently, as the game was their fifth consecutive lost matchup.

Several Trojans players turned in solid performances despite ultimately coming up short. Perhaps the best among those players was Misael Palafox, who almost dropped a double-double with nine points and ten rebounds. Christian Lopez was another key player, almost dropping a double-double with 14 points and nine boards.

Even though they lost, Alisal smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 36 offensive rebounds. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least 21 offensive boards in 15 consecutive matches.

Carmel had a senior duo take command as Warren Blut went 9-for-20 en route to 25 points and six rebounds and Simeon Brown posted 18 points in addition to seven boards and three steals. The game was Blut's sixth in a row with at least 15 points. The team also got some help courtesy of Hudson Rutherford, who earned nine points along with seven rebounds and three steals.

Alisal's defeat dropped their record down to 15-7. As for Carmel, they have been performing incredibly well recently as they've won ten of their last 11 contests, which provided a nice bump to their 14-6 record this season.

Alisal has already played their next match, an 83-72 win against Sequoia on the 8th. As for Carmel, they also wasted no time getting back out on the court and have already played their next game, a 57-51 victory against Sacred Heart Prep on the 8th.