Verdugo Hills finds playoff glory versus Taft

By Team Reports Feb 11, 2024, 6:46pm

Recap: Verdugo Hills Dons vs. Taft Toreadors

Two teams were on the hunt for playoff glory, but only the Verdugo Hills Dons walked away with it. They enjoyed a cozy 59-41 win over the Toreadors on Thursday. The win was familiar territory for Verdugo Hills who now have four in a row.

Verdugo Hills got their win on the backs of several key players, but it was Rayleen Castanos out in front who almost dropped a double-double on nine assists and ten steals. Castanos hasn't dropped below four steals for three straight games. Another player making a difference was Nicole Olivera, who scored 15 points along with three steals.

Taft's defeat came despite a true team effort from the offense, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Claudia Aber, who dropped a double-double on 14 points and 16 rebounds. Aber hasn't dropped below eight rebounds for three straight games. The team also got some help courtesy of Saxon Bagby, who scored 13 points along with four steals.

Verdugo Hills has been performing incredibly well recently as they've won six of their last seven matches, which provided a nice bump to their 18-11 record this season. As for Taft, they are on a nine-game losing streak that has dropped them down to 3-18.

Verdugo Hills will head out on the road to face off against Poly at 7:00 p.m. on Saturday. Poly is coming into the matchup with four straight wins at home, so Verdugo Hills is out to stop a team with plenty of momentum. Taft does not have any more games scheduled as of now.