The Chaparral Pumas struggled with offensive rebounds on Tuesday (the Murrieta Valley Nighthawks had 20 more) and sadly the final score reflected it. Chaparral fell to the Nighthawks 48-42. Chaparral has struggled against the Nighthawks recently, as their match on Tuesday was their fourth consecutive lost matchup.
Despite the defeat, Chaparral saw an underclassman step up: Zetta Faasua dropped a double-double on 13 points and ten rebounds. The team also got some help courtesy of Angela Dela Cruz, who scored ten points along with two steals.
Leading Murrieta Valley to victory were Valerie Lauritzen and Yulissa Cusworth. Lauritzen scored 16 points along with seven rebounds and five steals, while Cusworth dropped a double-double on 15 points and 11 rebounds. Cusworth has been hot recently, having posted two or more steals the last seven times she's played. Another player making a difference was Alysia Maldonado murray, who scored eight points along with eight rebounds and three steals.
Chaparral has not been sharp recently as the team's lost nine of their last 12 games, which put a noticeable dent in their 11-12 record this season. As for Murrieta Valley, they have been performing well recently as they've won six of their last eight contests, which provided a nice bump to their 17-9 record this season.
Both squads are looking forward to the support of their home crowds in their upcoming games. Chaparral will take on the Broncos at 5:30 p.m. on Friday. Vista Murrieta has been dominant on offense recently, as they've racked up an incredible 314 points over their last five matches. As for Murrieta Valley, they will look to defend their home court on Friday against the Golden Bears at 5:30 p.m.
