The Rio Mesa Spartans suffered their biggest defeat since December 5, 2023 on Friday. They suffered a tough 70-50 loss at the hands of Santa Barbara. The loss unfortunately continues a disappointing trend for Rio Mesa in their matchups with Santa Barbara: they've now lost four in a row.
Jackson Knowles and Rodney Adams jr. certainly did their best on Friday to try and avoid the loss. Knowles scored 15 points along with seven rebounds and two steals, while Adams jr. scored 13 points. Knowles has been hot recently, having posted two or more steals the last three times he's played. The team also got some help courtesy of Jacob Roa, who scored four points along with seven rebounds.
It was another big night for Luke Zuffelato, who scored 34 points along with five rebounds and four blocks for Santa Barbara. That makes it eight consecutive games in which Zuffelato has scored at least a third of Santa Barbara's points. Finn Whipps was another key contributor, scoring nine points along with 11 rebounds and three steals.
Rio Mesa has been struggling recently, as they've lost nine of their last ten contests, which put a noticeable dent in their 6-12 record this season. As for Santa Barbara, the win was the third in a row for them, bringing their record for this year to 14-7.
Rio Mesa will look to defend their home court on Monday against Camarillo at 6:00 p.m. Camarillo is hoping to put an end to a three-game streak of away losses. As for Santa Barbara, they will head out on the road to face off against Pacifica at 7:00 p.m. on Wednesday.
