Basketball Recap: South El Monte Takes a Loss

If South El Monte was riding high fresh off their 60-12 takedown of Mountain View last Monday, their most recent game may have dampened their spirits a bit. The South El Monte Eagles took a 33-26 hit to the loss column at the hands of the Gabrielino Eagles on Tuesday. South El Monte lost against Gabrielino in their previous head to head back in January of 2024, too, but the margin this time around was much closer than the 58-15 score last time.

Despite the loss, South El Monte still got an impressive performance from Justine Lucero, who posted 12 points and five steals. That was a full 46.2% of South El Monte's points, marking the third time in a row she's put up more than a third of the team's points. Brianna Mendoza was another key player, putting up four points and six steals.

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01/21/25 - Home

26-33 L

Even though they lost, South El Monte smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 11 offensive rebounds. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least 11 offensive boards in three consecutive matches.

Among those leading the charge was Katelyn Chung, who earned 11 points along with five boards and five steals. She has been hot for a while, having posted two or more steals the last 12 times she's played. The team also got some help courtesy of Shannon Yan, who scored five points and three steals.

South El Monte's defeat dropped their record down to 8-11. As for Gabrielino, the win made it two in a row for them and bumps their season record up to 8-9.

South El Monte has already played their next contest, a 50-10 victory against El Monte on the 22nd. As for Gabrielino, they also didn't take long to hit the court again: they've already played their next game, a 39-18 win against Arroyo on the 22nd.