After a string of four wins, the Norte Vista Braves's good fortune finally ran out on Thursday. They lost to Arlington at home by a decisive 75-60 margin. While losing is never fun, Norte Vista can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' California basketball rankings (they are ranked 508th, while Arlington is ranked 206th).
Despite the defeat, Norte Vista saw an underclassman step up: Carter Fulton scored 26 points along with two steals and two blocks. That was a full 43.3% of Norte Vista's points, marking the third time in a row he's earned more than a third of the team's points. Another player making a difference was Marinio Elissaint, who scored five points along with eight rebounds and six assists.
Leading Arlington to victory were Lincoln Liggins and Ryan Wheeler. Liggins dropped a double-double on 26 points and ten rebounds, while Wheeler dropped a double-double on 23 points and 14 rebounds. Wheeler is on a roll when it comes to points, as he's now scored 15 or more in the last 12 games he's played. Kaeden Sibrian was another key contributor, scoring five points along with 12 rebounds and eight assists.
Norte Vista's loss ended a five-game streak of wins at home and dropped them to 11-8. As for Arlington, their win was their fourth straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 15-9.
Norte Vista will take on La Sierra at 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday. La Sierra is coming into the contest on a three-game losing streak. As for Arlington, they will be playing at home against Ramona at 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday. Ramona has now lost eight straight, and the team is hunting for their first win since December 28.
