The Cleveland Cavaliers had to endure a six-game losing streak, but that streak is no more. They snuck past Taft with a 35-31 win on Friday. The victory was just what Cleveland needed coming off of a 54-22 defeat in their prior matchup.
Cleveland's success was the result of a balanced attack that saw several players step up, but Izabella Maloumian led the charge by scoring 16 points along with four steals. As a matter of fact, that's the most points Maloumian has scored all season. Another player making a difference was Valerie Anzora, who scored seven points along with 13 rebounds and six steals.
Taft's defeat shouldn't obscure the performances of Saxon Bagby, who scored seven points along with six rebounds and five steals, and Claudia Aber who scored eight points along with ten rebounds and three steals.
Cleveland's victory ended a three-game drought at home and bumped them up to 11-12. As for Taft, they dropped their record down to 3-14 with that loss, which was their fourth straight on the road.
Cleveland has the luxury of staying home another game and will welcome Granada Hills Charter at 7:00 p.m. on January 29th. Granada Hills Charterpresents a significant challenge as they come into the match much higher ranked than Cleveland in California (Granada Hills Charter is ranked 133rd, while Cleveland is ranked 368th). As for Taft, they will head out on the road to take on Birmingham at 4:00 p.m. on Monday. Birmingham will roll in looking for their sixth straight victory, something Taft surely won't give up without a fight.
