The Kennedy Fighting Irish's recent rough patch got a bit rougher on Friday after their fifth straight loss. They fell just short of Cypress by a score of 49-46. Kennedy has not had much luck with Cypress recently, as the team's come up short the last five times they've met.
Despite the defeat, Kennedy had strong showings from Ariana Navarro, who scored nine points along with six rebounds and five assists, and Riyin Stewart, who scored 11 points along with nine rebounds and two blocks. Navarro has been hot recently, having posted two or more steals the last 11 times she's played. The team also got some help courtesy of Madeleine Hsu, who scored ten points along with five rebounds.
Cypress' win was the result of several impressive offensive performances. One of the most notable came from Sara Shigekawa, who scored 14 points. Another player making a difference was Isabella Caceres, who scored 12 points along with nine rebounds and five assists.
Kennedy's defeat dropped their record down to 8-11. As for Cypress, the victory got them back to even at 10-10.
Kennedy won't have much time to rest: their next match is against Palos Verdes at 5:45 p.m. on January 13th. Palos Verdes presents a significant challenge as they come into the match much higher ranked than Kennedy in California (Palos Verdes is ranked 197th, while Kennedy is ranked 602nd). As for Cypress, they will look to defend their home court on Tuesday against Crean Lutheran at 6:15 p.m. Crean Lutheran has been dominant on offense recently, as they've racked up an incredible 217 points over their last three matchups.
