Basketball Recap: Ava Bunch Leads a Balanced Attack to Beat Las Plumas

After losing to Las Plumas the last time they met, Durham decided to demonstrate that turnabout is fair play. The stars were shining brightly for the Durham Trojans in a 50-35 victory over the Las Plumas Thunderbirds on Thursday. Given the Trojans' advantage in MaxPreps' California basketball rankings (they are ranked 340th, while the Thunderbirds are ranked 714th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.

Durham's success was the result of a balanced attack that saw several players step up, but Ava Bunch led the charge by putting up 13 points. Those 13 points gave Bunch a new career-high. Karla Rangel was another key player, posting 12 points.

Las Plumas' defeat came despite a true team effort from the offense, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Caysley Hepworth, who posted six points and ten rebounds. Hepworth is becoming a predictor of Las Plumas' success: when she posts at least eight boards the team is 2-1 (and 1-5 when she doesn't). The team also got some help courtesy of Ava Hepworth, who had eight points and eight rebounds.

Durham is on a roll lately: they've won three of their last four games, which provided a nice bump to their 7-3 record this season. As for Las Plumas, they are on a three-game losing streak that has dropped them down to 3-6.

Durham wasted no time getting back out on the court and has already played their next match, a 51-43 win against Anderson on the 20th. As for Las Plumas, they also didn't take long to hit the court again: they've already played their next contest, a 52-17 victory against Mt. Shasta on the 20th.