After a string of three wins, the Laton Mustangs's good fortune finally ran out on Tuesday. They fell just short of Alpaugh by a score of 55-52. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest loss Laton has suffered against Alpaugh since January 18, 2019.
Several Mustangs players turned in solid performances, despite ultimately coming up short. Perhaps the best among those players was Johnathan Garcia, who dropped a double-double on 15 points and ten rebounds. As a matter of fact, that's the most points Garcia has scored all season. Another player making a difference was Jaythan Garcia, who scored 13 points along with three steals.
Even though they lost, Laton were working as a unit and finished the game with 15 assists. That's the most assists they've managed all season.
Alpaugh can attribute much of their success to Luis Vasquez, who went 7 for 8 from beyond the arc en route to 26 points and 2 assists. That's the first time this season that Vasquez scored 15 or more points. The team also got some help courtesy of Jesus Nunez, who scored 13 points along with nine rebounds and two steals.
Laton's defeat dropped their record down to 4-12. As for Alpaugh, they are on a roll lately: they've won four of their last five matchups, which provided a nice bump to their 8-5 record this season.
Both squads are looking forward to the support of their home crowds in their upcoming games. Laton won't have much time to rest: their next game is against Tranquillity at 6:00 p.m. on January 17th. Tranquillity has now lost seven straight, and the team is hunting for their first win since December 19. As for Alpaugh, they will look to defend their home court on Friday against Riverdale Christian at 6:00 p.m. The matchup should be an exciting one, as these teams are ranked near one another in California (Riverdale Christian is ranked 1261st, while Alpaugh is ranked 1240th).
