Basketball Recap: Elynna Jimenez and Nayeli Cardona Secure Win for Imperial

Imperial had already won two in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 25 points) and they went ahead and made it three on Saturday. They came out on top in a nail-biter against the Oceanside Pirates, sneaking past 49-47. Given the Tigers' advantage in MaxPreps' California basketball rankings (they are ranked 175th, while the Pirates are ranked 379th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.

Imperial was led to victory by Nayeli Cardona and Elynna Jimenez. Cardona posted 26 points in addition to seven boards and three steals, while Jimenez dropped a double-double on ten points and 17 rebounds. The dominant performance gave Jimenez a new career-high in boards. The team also got some help courtesy of Maddie Magdaleno, who earned two points and nine rebounds.

Imperial smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 23 offensive boards. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Oceanside only pulled down 13 offensive rebounds.

Oceanside's loss came despite strong showings from Brooklynn Davis and Alana Hoskins. Davis almost dropped a double-double on 13 points and nine boards, while Hoskins had 11 points. Davis is trending in the right direction considering she's improved her point production for three straight games. Aliyah Samad was another key player, putting up three points and 13 rebounds.

Imperial's record now sits at 15-4. As for Oceanside, this is the second loss in a row for them and nudges their season record down to 8-8.

Imperial will challenge Yuma Catholic at 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday. Yuma Catholic will roll in looking for their fifth straight victory, something Imperial surely won't give up without a fight. As for Oceanside, they will take on Eastlake at 11:00 a.m. on Monday. Oceanside is facing Eastlake at the right time seeing as Eastlake is stuck on a three-game losing streak.