Basketball Recap: Scripps Ranch Comes Up Short

Scripps Ranch saw some tournament action on Thursday. They had to suffer through a 79-26 loss at the hands of the Hamilton Yankees. While losing is never fun, the Falcons can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' California basketball rankings (they are ranked 260th, while the Yankees are ranked 17th).

Scripps Ranch's defeat came despite a true team effort from the offense, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Clare Valentine, who posted 13 points and eight rebounds. The team also got some help courtesy of Esme Martinez, who scored six points.

Jade Fort was her usual excellent self, going 13 for 22 on her way to 39 points and three steals for Hamilton. The dominant performance also gave Fort a new career-high in assists (four). Kinidi Curl was another key player, going 8 of 17 en route to 20 points and eight assists.

This is the second loss in a row for Scripps Ranch and nudges their season record down to 6-5. As for Hamilton, their record now sits at 9-1.

Scripps Ranch has already played their next game, a 65-42 win against Hesperia on the 4th. As for Hamilton, they also wasted no time getting back out on the court and have already played their next contest, a 68-32 victory against Victory Christian Academy on the 3rd.