The Chico Panthers came tearing into Tuesday's matchup with four straight wins (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 14.8 points) and they left with even more momentum. They skirted past Shasta 50-47. Given Chico's advantage in MaxPreps' California basketball rankings (they are ranked 102nd, while Shasta is ranked 260th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Leading Chico to victory were Taylee Clements and Josie Carlos. Clements scored 12 points along with six assists and five steals, while Carlos scored 14 points along with six steals. Carlos has been hot recently, having posted two or more steals the last five times she's played. Another player making a difference was Aleah Cook, who scored ten points along with five rebounds and two steals.
When it comes to explaining why Shasta lost, one person who can't be blamed is Ava Mena. Despite the final result, she scored 14 points along with three steals. Joriana Gibbens-egolf was another key contributor, scoring eight points along with six rebounds.
Chico is on a roll lately: they've won 12 of their last 14 matches, which provided a nice bump to their 14-7 record this season. As for Shasta, their defeat ended a five-game streak of wins at home dating back to last season and dropped them to 12-8.
Chico will take on Shasta at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday. As for Shasta, they will head out on the road to face off against Chico at 7:30 p.m. Chico will be looking to keep their four-game home win streak alive.
