If the Smidt Tech Grey Wolves were feeling good off their 66-32 takedown of The School of Los Angeles on Thursday, their most recent game may have dampened their spirits a bit. Smidt Tech fell 53-42 to Stern on Friday. While losing is never fun, Smidt Tech can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' California basketball rankings (they are ranked 1253rd, while Stern is ranked 519th).
Despite the loss, Smidt Tech still got an impressive performance from Leo Pena, who scored 16 points. Another player making a difference was Aaron Merlos, who scored nine points.
Stern's success was the result of a balanced attack that saw several players step up, but Mark Bautista led the charge by scoring 18 points. The match was Bautista's seventh in a row with at least ten points. Vince Villanueva was another key contributor, scoring 16 points along with eight rebounds.
Smidt Tech bumped their record down to 3-6 with that loss, which was their ninth straight on the road dating back to last season. As for Stern, they have been performing well recently as they've won four of their last five matches, which provided a nice bump to their 7-2 record this season.
Both teams will have to hit the road in their upcoming games. Smidt Tech will square off against Camino Nuevo Dalzell Lance Campus at 2:00 p.m. on Monday. As for Stern, they will head out on the road to face off against Animo De La Hoya at 3:30 p.m. on Monday.
