After a string of five wins, the Aptos Mariners's good fortune finally ran out on Tuesday. They took a 47-39 hit to the loss column at the hands of Santa Cruz. Aptos has struggled against the Cardinals recently, as their contest on Tuesday was their sixth consecutive lost matchup.
Several Mariners players turned in solid performances despite ultimately coming up short. Perhaps the best among those players was Gabby Wickham, who scored 12 points along with eight rebounds. The team also got some help courtesy of Eliya Sanchez, who scored six points.
Santa Cruz found their leader in underclassman Kina Espinosa, who almost dropped a double-double on 21 points and nine rebounds. As a matter of fact, that's the most points Espinosa has scored all season. Natalia Espinosa was another key contributor, scoring eight points along with seven rebounds and three steals.
Aptos' defeat ended a six-game streak of wins at home and dropped them to 15-8. As for Santa Cruz, they have been performing incredibly well recently as they've won 13 of their last 14 games, which provided a nice bump to their 18-5 record this season.
Both squads are looking forward to the support of their home crowds in their upcoming games. Aptos will play host again and welcome the Pirates, where tip off is scheduled for 6:00 p.m. on Friday. Harbor has now lost 12 straight, and the team is hunting for their first win since December 14. As for Santa Cruz, they will look to defend their home court on Friday against the Cougars at 6:00 p.m. San Lorenzo Valley will have to bring their A-game into this one, as they are staring down a pretty big deficit in the MaxPreps California Rankings (they are ranked 912th, while the Cardinals are ranked 252nd).
