Basketball Recap: Helix Comes Up Short

While it was all tied up 32-32 at halftime, Helix was not quite El Capitan's equal in the second half on Friday. They fell just short of the El Capitan Vaqueros by a score of 57-54. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest loss the Highlanders have suffered since November 21, 2024.

Despite the loss, Helix still got an impressive performance from Samara Patterson, who dropped a double-double on 14 points and ten rebounds. The dominant performance also gave Patterson a new career-high in steals (four). Cheyenne McMillan was another key player, putting up 12 points and six boards.

Even though they lost, Helix smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 12 offensive rebounds. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least eight offensive boards in six consecutive matchups.

El Capitan was led to victory by Keira Heinricy and Lilly Williams. Heinricy went 7 for 15 on her way to 19 points and eight rebounds, while Williams dropped a double-double on 16 points and ten boards. Williams continues to improve, besting her previous point total in each of the last four games she's played. The team also got some help courtesy of Emily Sample, who posted three points along with seven assists and six rebounds.

Helix's defeat ended a three-game streak of wins at home and dropped them to 8-8. As for El Capitan, they have been performing incredibly well recently as they've won 12 of their last 13 contests, which provided a nice bump to their 18-3 record this season.

Helix has already played their next game, a 63-40 victory against Fallbrook on the 20th. As for El Capitan, they will head out on the road to square off against Steele Canyon at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday. Steele Canyon has a tough task ahead: they'll enter the matchup with six straight losses, while El Capitan will come in with four straight wins.