The Notre Dame Tigers's recent rough patch got a bit rougher on Tuesday after their fifth straight loss. They took a 44-38 hit to the loss column at the hands of Menlo School. While losing is never fun, Notre Dame can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' California basketball rankings (they are ranked 421st, while the Knights are ranked 180th).
Notre Dame's defeat shouldn't obscure the performances of Sammy Kakala, who scored 13 points along with five rebounds and two steals, and Juila Oliveira-Killmon who scored ten points along with seven rebounds. Another player making a difference was Vivana Martinez, who scored eight points.
Menlo School's victory was a true team effort, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Ruiqi Liu, who dropped a double-double on 20 points and 12 rebounds. Liu is on a roll when it comes to points, as she's now scored 15 or more in the last eight games she's played. The team also got some help courtesy of Karen Xin, who scored 15 points along with five assists.
Notre Dame's defeat dropped their record down to 9-8. As for Menlo School, their win was their sixth straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 12-6.
Both teams are looking forward to the support of their home crowds in their upcoming games. The Tigers will take on the Regents at 6:00 p.m. on Friday. The Regents are coming into the contest on a three-game losing streak. As for Menlo School, they will be playing at home against the Panthers at 5:00 p.m. on Friday.
