After flying high against Buhach Colony last Thursday, Merced came back down to earth. The Merced Bears were outmatched by the Atwater Falcons and fell 57-26. The Bears were in a tough position after the first half, with the score already sitting at 33-11.
Despite the loss, Merced saw an underclassman step up: sophomore Averie Steverson almost dropped a double-double with nine points and 16 boards. The team also got some help courtesy of Samantha Barragan, who posted four points along with six steals and five rebounds.
Even though they lost, Merced smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 15 offensive rebounds. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least 11 offensive boards in five consecutive matches.
Atwater's success was the result of a balanced attack that saw several players step up, but Madison Hiler led the charge by dropping a double-double with 14 points and ten boards. The dominant performance gave Hiler a new career-high in rebounds. Another player making a difference was Cami Gibson, who almost dropped a triple-double with nine points, nine boards, and ten blocks.
Merced's defeat dropped their record down to 15-11. As for Atwater, they have been performing incredibly well recently as they've won ten of their last 11 games, which provided a nice bump to their 22-5 record this season.
Merced wasted no time getting back out on the court and has already played their next contest, a 46-29 victory against Golden Valley on the 13th. As for Atwater, they have also already played their next match, an 84-8 win against Buhach Colony on the 13th.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
