The Santa Ynez Pirates had already won four in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 7 points), and they went ahead and made it five on Friday. They strolled past Pioneer Valley with points to spare, taking the game 45-27. Given Santa Ynez's advantage in MaxPreps' California basketball rankings (they are ranked 336th, while Pioneer Valley is ranked 719th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Santa Ynez's success was the result of a balanced attack that saw several players step up, but Kylie Lapointe led the charge by scoring nine points along with five steals. Lapointe has been hot recently, having posted two or more steals the last seven times she's played. Jay Bradford was another key contributor, scoring six points along with six rebounds.
Pioneer Valley's defeat came despite a true team effort from the offense, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Kianna Real, who scored ten points.
Santa Ynez's victory was their fifth straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 13-6. As for Pioneer Valley, they are on a three-game losing streak that has dropped them down to 4-10.
Coincidentally, the two teams will both be playing Atascadero the next time they take the court. Pioneer Valley will head out to face Atascadero at 5:45 p.m. on Tuesday, while Santa Ynez will host them at 5:45 p.m. on Friday.
