Basketball Recap: Banning Comes Up Short

If Banning was riding high fresh off their 57-25 takedown of Locke two weeks ago, their most recent game may have dampened their spirits a bit. The Banning Pilots took a hard 52-37 fall against the Downtown Magnets Suns on Thursday. The Pilots were given a dose of their own medicine in this game as the Suns apparently hadn't forgotten their loss the last time these teams played back in February of 2024.

Downtown Magnets found their leader in sophomore Patrick Lei, who almost dropped a double-double on 17 points and nine rebounds. Lei also grabbed five steals, which is notable because Downtown Magnets is undefeated when he posts at least three steals, but 4-5 otherwise. Another player making a difference was Justin Huang, who went 7 of 17 en route to 17 points and three steals.

Banning has traveled a rocky road recently having lost four of their last five contests, which put a noticeable dent in their 7-8 record this season. As for Downtown Magnets, the win was the third in a row for them, bringing their record for this year to 9-5.

Banning and Camino Nuevo Dalzell Lance Campus will face off at 3:00 p.m. on Friday without much rest having both just played. Camino Nuevo Dalzell Lance Campus will roll in looking for their sixth straight victory, something Banning surely won't give up without a fight. As for Downtown Magnets, they and Animo Robinson will face off at 3:00 p.m. on Friday without much rest having both just played. Downtown Magnets is strutting in with some offensive muscle as they've averaged 50.1 points per game this season.