Winning is just a little bit easier when you outrebound your opponent 18 to ten on the offensive boards, a fact the Imperial Tigers proved on Saturday. They came out on top against Mater Dei Catholic by a score of 51-43. For Imperial, this counts as revenge for the 58-43 defeat Mater Dei Catholic walked away with the last time they faced one another back in February of 2023.
Imperial was led to victory by Davan Heraz and Nayeli Cardona. Heraz scored 14 points along with eight rebounds and three blocks, while Cardona dropped a double-double on 21 points and 13 rebounds. That makes it eight consecutive games in which Cardona has scored at least a third of Imperial's points. Clare Davila was another key contributor, scoring three points along with seven rebounds and five assists.
Several Crusaders players turned in solid performances, despite ultimately coming up short. Perhaps the best among those players was Melissa Ruiz, who scored 16 points. As a matter of fact, that's the most points Ruiz has scored all season. The team also got some help courtesy of Awen Carrillo, who scored ten points along with seven rebounds.
Imperial is on a roll lately: they've won four of their last five matches, which provided a massive bump to their 11-11 record this season. As for Mater Dei Catholic, this is the second loss in a row for them and nudges their season record down to 7-10.
Both teams are looking forward to the support of their home crowds in their upcoming games. Imperial will take on Palo Verde Valley at 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday. Palo Verde Valley is looking to tack on another W to their four-game streak on the road. As for Mater Dei Catholic, they will be playing at home against Patrick Henry at 6:30 p.m. on Monday.
