Basketball Recap: Sunnyside Victorious

Wildcats

Previous 3 Games

01/18/25 vs Centennial	54-53
01/17/25 vs Edison	72-54
01/15/25 @ Fresno	64-54

Sunnyside entered their tilt with Centennial on Saturday with two consecutive wins but they'll enter their next game with three. They pulled ahead with a 54-53 photo finish over the Centennial Golden Hawks. That's the second time they've managed to beat them this season, as they also won 61-55 back in December of 2024.

Sunnyside's success was the result of a balanced attack that saw several players step up, but Malachi Barnes led the charge by putting up 15 points. Barnes has been hot, having posted 15 or more points the last five times he's played. Tanner Wilson was another key player, scoring 11 points.

Centennial's defeat came despite a true team effort from the offense, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Michael Gutierrez, who went 8 of 17 en route to 19 points in addition to five assists and three steals. The team also got some help courtesy of Ryan Shaw, who almost dropped a double-double on ten points and nine rebounds.

Sunnyside has been performing well recently as they've won six of their last eight games, which provided a nice bump to their 14-7 record this season. Those victories came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 57.4 points per game. As for Centennial, they have been struggling recently as they've lost four of their last five contests, which put a noticeable dent in their 12-8 record this season.

Both squads will have to hit the road in their upcoming games. Sunnyside has already played their next matchup (against Sanger), but no score has been uploaded at the time of writing. Centennial will take on Stockdale at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday. Centennial is facing Stockdale at the right time seeing as Stockdale is stuck on a five-game losing streak.