The Monterey Trail Mustangs waltzed into their game on Friday with seven straight wins but they left with eight. They enjoyed a cozy 72-55 win over Laguna Creek. Given Monterey Trail's advantage in MaxPreps' California basketball rankings (they are ranked 33rd, while Laguna Creek is ranked 209th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Monterey Trail's success was the result of a balanced attack that saw several players step up, but Kentrell Kelly led the charge by dropping a double-double on 19 points and 12 rebounds. Kelly has been hot recently, having posted eight or more rebounds the last four times he's played. The team also got some help courtesy of Brandon Gibson Jr, who scored 19 points along with seven rebounds.
Several Cardinals players turned in solid performances, despite ultimately coming up short. Perhaps the best among those players was Sonai Murphy, who scored seven points along with 18 rebounds. Jaylan Virgil was another key contributor, scoring 17 points.
Monterey Trail's victory was their third straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 17-1. They've been dominating during the games in that stretch too, as they've won by an average of 32.33 points. As for Laguna Creek, they have been struggling recently, as they've lost four of their last five contests, which put a noticeable dent in their 10-9 record this season.
Monterey Trail will head out on the road to face off against Burbank at 7:30 p.m. on Friday. Laguna Creek won't have much time to rest: their next game is against Rio Americano at 9:00 a.m. on January 13th.
