Basketball Recap: Mission Oak Takes a Loss

Mission Oak lost against Bullard back in December of 2023 and unfortunately they wound up with the same result on Saturday. The Mission Oak Hawks were dealt a 74-36 loss at the hands of the Bullard Knights. While losing is never fun, the Hawks can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' California basketball rankings (they are ranked 460th, while the Knights are ranked 127th).

Despite the defeat, Mission Oak saw an underclassman step up: sophomore Aiyana Murray posted 14 points and four steals. Murray has been hot recently, having posted four or more steals the last four times she's played. Braelyn Serpa was another key player, putting up eight points and three steals.

Sanai Herod was her usual excellent self, almost dropping a double-double on 19 points and nine boards for Bullard. That's the most points Herod has posted since back in November of 2024. Another player making a difference was Caris Williams, who went 6 of 11 on her way to 17 points along with six rebounds and three steals.

Mission Oak now has a losing record at 10-11. As for Bullard, their win was their fourth straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 15-8.

Mission Oak will venture away from home to take on Strathmore at 6:15 p.m. on Monday. Strathmore will roll in looking for their fifth straight victory, something Mission Oak surely won't give up without a fight. As for Bullard, they will be playing at home against Fresno at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday. One thing working in Bullard's favor is that they have posted at least 55 points in their last six matchups.