The St. Mary's Rams waltzed into their match Thursday with four straight wins but they left with five. It was close, but they capped 2023 with a 61-59 victory over Aptos. Given St. Mary's advantage in MaxPreps' California basketball rankings (they are ranked 38th, while Aptos is ranked 283rd), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
St. Mary's had a senior duo take command as Daniel Huerta scored 26 points along with four steals and Cayden Ward scored 19 points along with nine rebounds and six assists. The match was Huerta's 12th in a row with at least ten points. Another player making a difference was Alex Perasso, who scored four points along with six rebounds.
Despite the loss, Aptos still got an impressive performance from Isaiah Ackerman, who scored 15 points. The game was Ackerman's 12th in a row with at least ten points. Luke Garvey was another key contributor, scoring 11 points.
St. Mary's win bumped their record up to 10-2. As for Aptos, their defeat dropped their record down to 7-5.
St. Mary's won't have much time to rest: their next contest is against Los Gatos at 8:00 p.m. on December 29, 2023. Los Gatos has been getting the ball to fall more lately as they've increased their point totals each of their last three games. Aptos won't have much time to rest: their next contest is against North Monterey County at 4:00 p.m. on December 29, 2023. North Monterey County is coming into the matchup on a three-game losing streak.
