After flying high against the Los Banos Tigers last Monday, the Johansen Vikings came back down to earth. Johansen took a 62-58 hit to the loss column at the hands of Ceres. The defeat unfortunately continues a disappointing trend for Johansen in their matchups with Ceres: they've now lost six in a row.
Several Vikings players turned in solid performances, despite ultimately coming up short. Perhaps the best among those players was Caidan Bounmany, who scored 16 points. Bounmany has been hot recently, having posted 15 or more points the last four times he's played. Another player making a difference was Wilbert Gaxiola, who scored 15 points.
Ceres' win was a true team effort, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Manuel Ortega, who dropped a double-double on 14 points and ten rebounds. Ortega has been hot recently, having posted eight or more rebounds the last three times he's played. The team also got some help courtesy of Carey Mastin, who scored 11 points along with eight assists and two steals.
Johansen's loss dropped their record down to 8-10. As for Ceres, the victory (which was their sixth in a row) raised their record to 11-6.
Both teams will have to hit the road in their upcoming games. Johansen on the road again on Friday and play against Lathrop at 7:15 p.m. on January 12th. Lathrop knows how to get points on the board -- the team has finished with flashy point totals in its past four matchups -- so hopefully Johansen likes a good challenge. As for Ceres, they will head out on the road to square off against Los Banos at 7:15 p.m. on Friday.
