The Sparks Railroaders's recent rough patch got a bit rougher on Friday after their third straight loss. They fell 60-50 to South Tahoe. The loss unfortunately continues a disappointing trend for Sparks in their matchups with South Tahoe: they've now lost five in a row.
Loss or not, Sparks got some senior leadership from Jaoquin "JJ" Tagulao and Adrian Banuelos Puga. Tagulao scored 13 points along with six rebounds and five steals, while Banuelos Puga. almost dropped a double-double on 13 points and nine rebounds. Tagulao has been hot recently, having posted two or more steals the last 16 times he's played. The team also got some help courtesy of Eli Flores, who scored 15 points.
Even though they lost, Sparks smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 17 offensive rebounds. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as South Tahoe only pulled down eight offensive rebounds.
South Tahoe got their victory on the backs of several key players, but it was Kai McClain out in front who dropped a double-double on 14 points and ten rebounds. Ryder Tannaci was another key contributor, scoring ten points along with six rebounds.
Sparks has not been sharp recently as the team has lost 16 of their last 18 contests, which put a noticeable dent in their 4-20 record this season. As for South Tahoe, they now have a winning record of 13-12.
Sparks does not have any more games scheduled as of now. South Tahoe's road trip will continue as they head out to face Elko at 5:15 p.m. on February 12th. Elko has been dominant on offense recently, as they've racked up an incredible 307 points over their last five games.
