The Bethel Christian Kings came tearing into Thursday's match with seven straight wins (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 21.3 points) and they left with even more momentum. They really took it to Lucerne Valley for the full four quarters, racking up a 59-29 win on the road. Considering Bethel Christian has won five games by more than 26 points this season, Thursday's blowout was nothing new.
Bethel Christian had a senior duo take command as Josh Coba scored 16 points along with seven rebounds and six assists and Jordyn Frazier-Mathews dropped a double-double on 19 points and ten rebounds. That makes it three consecutive games in which Frazier-Mathews has scored at least 25% of Bethel Christian's points. The team also got some help courtesy of Joseph Kyababchian, who scored seven points.
Despite the loss, Lucerne Valley still got an impressive performance from Derrick Tyler, who dropped a double-double on 14 points and 14 rebounds. Those 14 rebounds set a new season-high mark for him. Another player making a difference was Valentin Garibay, who scored seven points along with seven rebounds.
Even though they lost, Lucerne Valley were smashing the offensive glass and finished the game with 20 offensive rebounds. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Bethel Christian only pulled down eight offensive rebounds.
Bethel Christian's victory bumped their record up to 9-1. As for Lucerne Valley, they are on a four-game losing streak that has dropped them down to 2-10.
Bethel Christian and Newbury Park Adventist will round out the year against one another at 6:00 p.m. on Saturday at. One thing working in Newbury Park Adventist's favor is that they have posted big point totals every time they've taken the court this season. Lucerne Valley won't have much time to rest: their next contest is against San Jacinto Leadership Academy at 2:45 p.m. on December 29th. San Jacinto Leadership Academy is coming into the match on a four-game losing streak.