The Hanford Bullpups lost against the Sierra Pacific Golden Bears back in January of 2023, and unfortunately they wound up with the same result on Saturday. Hanford was outmatched by Sierra Pacific at home and fell 76-36. While losing is never fun, Hanford can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' California basketball rankings (they are ranked 440th, while Sierra Pacific is ranked 205th).
When it comes to explaining why Hanford lost, one person who can't be blamed is Nevaeh Lockett. Despite the final result, she scored four points along with 16 rebounds and seven blocks. Lockett is crushing the rebound category: she's posted at least eight every time she's taken the court this season. Another player making a difference was Kenyah Stubbs, who scored 13 points along with five rebounds and three steals.
Sierra Pacific's victory was a true team effort, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Asia Jackson, who scored 13 points along with seven steals and six assists. The team also got some help courtesy of Nyang Ayuen, who scored 16 points along with five steals.
Hanford's loss ended a five-game streak of wins at home and dropped them to 13-13. As for Sierra Pacific, the victory was the 11th in a row for them, bringing their record for this year to 16-11.
Both squads will have to hit the road in their upcoming games. Hanford will face off against Mission Oak at 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday. Mission Oak has been getting the ball to fall more lately as they've increased their point totals each of their last three games. As for Sierra Pacific, they will head out on the road to square off against Kingsburg at 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday. Sierra Pacific knows how to get points on the board -- the team has finished with flashy point totals in its past ten matches -- so hopefully Kingsburg likes a good challenge.
