It was a good run, but the Maranatha Minutemen unfortunately witnessed the end of their three-game winning streak on Friday. They had to suffer through a rough 73-44 loss at the hands of Crespi. While losing is never fun, Maranatha can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' California basketball rankings (they are ranked 215th, while Crespi is ranked ninth).
Several Minutemen players turned in solid performances, despite ultimately coming up short. Perhaps the best among those players was Dylan Khatchikian, who scored 8 points. Another player making a difference was Giacomo Manzella, who scored 11 points.
Crespi found their leader in underclassman Joe Sterling, who scored 29 points along with 6 rebounds. That makes it three consecutive games in which Sterling has scored at least 25% of Crespi's points. The team also got some help courtesy of Nickon Daei, who scored 11 points along with 6 assists.
Maranatha's defeat dropped their record down to 3-1. As for Crespi, the victory for they keeps them at an undefeated 8-0.
Maranatha will head out on the road to face off against Village Christian at 6:45 p.m. on Saturday. Crespi's road trip will continue as they head out to face Pasadena at 8:15 p.m. on December 2nd. One thing working in Pasadena's favor is that they have posted big point totals every time they've taken the court this season.
