Basketball Recap: Rio Vista Comes Up Short

Rio Vista played a tough match on Thursday in which they were outscored in every quarter. They were beaten by the Freedom Falcons 64-25. While losing is never fun, the Rams can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' California basketball rankings (they are ranked 958th, while the Falcons are ranked 214th).

Despite the loss, Rio Vista still got an impressive performance from Samiah Holley, who dropped a triple-double on 15 points, 12 boards, and 11 steals. Holley is crushing it when it comes to steals: she's grabbed at least four every time she's taken the court this season. Janessa McDowell was another key player, putting up ten boards and six blocks.

Even though they lost, Rio Vista smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 21 offensive boards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least 11 offensive boards in ten consecutive games.

It was another big night for Eve Monzon, who went 12 of 18 on her way to 29 points for Freedom. Those 29 points gave Monzon a new career-high. The team also got some help courtesy of Anisa Blalock, who posted 11 points along with six boards and six steals.

Rio Vista dropped their record down to 5-9 with the loss, which was their fourth straight on the road. As for Freedom, the victory (which was their third in a row) raised their record to 7-4.

Rio Vista will have a little extra prep time after the defeat as they won't be playing again for a while. They'll take on Lindhurst at 6:00 p.m. on January 3, 2025. As for Freedom, they didn't take long to hit the court again: they've already played their next contest, a 51-39 win against Manteca on the 21st.