The Redmond Mustangs lost against the Eastlake Wolves back in January of 2023, and unfortunately they wound up with the same result on Friday. Redmond opened the new year with a less-than-successful 59-49 defeat to Eastlake. While losing is never fun, Redmond can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Washington basketball rankings (they are ranked 125th, while Eastlake is ranked 24th).
Redmond's defeat came despite a true team effort from the offense, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Sofia Locati, who scored 11 points along with five rebounds and three steals. Another player making a difference was Natalie West, who scored ten points along with eight rebounds.
Sofia Aluas was her usual excellent self, dropping a double-double on 22 points and 14 rebounds for Eastlake. The game was Aluas' tenth in a row with at least ten points. The team also got some help courtesy of Tatum Wood, who scored 19 points along with seven rebounds and four steals.
Redmond's loss was their fourth straight at home, which bumped their record down to 5-6. As for Eastlake, the victory was the third in a row for them, bringing their record for this year to 9-3.
Both squads will have to hit the road in their upcoming games. Redmond won't have much time to rest: their next matchup is against Bothell at 6:00 p.m. on January 6th. Bothell has been dominant on offense recently, as they've racked up an incredible 317 points over their last five contests. Eastlake won't have much time to rest: their next game is against Newport - Bellevue at 2:00 p.m. on January 6th. Newport - Bellevue is coming into the match on a four-game losing streak.
