Basketball Recap: Encina Falls Despite Big Games from Khaliah Mcdonald and Elise Brandon

Encina lost against Futures back in January of 2024 and unfortunately they wound up with the same result on Friday. The Encina Bulldogs fell just short of the Futures Knights by a score of 27-25. The Bulldogs have now taken an 'L' in back-to-back games.

Encina's loss shouldn't obscure the performances of Elise Brandon, who dropped a double-double on 13 points and 13 boards, and Khaliah McDonald, who posted five points in addition to 12 rebounds and six blocks. That was a full 52% of Encina's points, marking the eighth time in a row she's put up more than a third of the team's points. The team also got some help courtesy of Taytum Buggage, who had two points and 13 rebounds.

Bulldogs

Previous 2 Games

01/03/25 vs Futures	25-27
12/20/24 vs John Adams Academy Rsvl/Lin	28-43

Even though they lost, Encina smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 37 offensive rebounds. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least 16 offensive boards in eight consecutive games.

Futures' success was the result of a balanced attack that saw several players step up, but Nikole Vinokurov led the charge by putting up five points along with ten boards and four steals. Vinokurov is on a roll when it comes to steals, as she's now grabbed three or more in the last five games she's played. Sasha Salfetnikov was another key player, posting seven points along with nine boards and four steals.

Encina's defeat dropped their record down to 4-4. As for Futures, the win made it two in a row for them and bumps their season record up to 5-8.

Encina will head out to take on Oakmont at 5:30 p.m. on Monday. Oakmont will roll in looking for their seventh straight victory, something Encina surely won't give up without a fight. As for Futures, they didn't take long to hit the court again: they've already played their next matchup, a 51-28 win against Bradshaw Christian on the 4th.