Basketball Recap: Daniel Penner Leads a Balanced Attack to Beat Escondido

It may have taken overtime to finish the job, but Ramona ultimately got the result they hoped for on Friday. They came out on top against the Escondido Cougars by a score of 66-58. That result was just more of the same for these two, as the Bulldogs also won the last time the pair played back in December of 2022.

Multiple players turned in solid performances to lead Ramona to victory, but perhaps none more so than Daniel Penner, who posted 18 points along with seven assists and seven steals. That's the most assists Penner has posted since back in January of 2024. Eric Lopez was another key player, dropping a double-double on 14 points and 14 rebounds.

Penner wasn't the only one working in the assists department: Ramona was working as a unit and finished the game with 21 assists. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Escondido only posted ten assists.

Nathan James and Maddox Mendoza certainly did their best on Friday to avoid the loss. James dropped a double-double on 22 points and 15 boards, while Mendoza dropped a double-double on 18 points and 14 rebounds. The team also got some help courtesy of Danny Valadez, who earned 14 points.

Ramona picked up their first road victory, bumping their record up to 7-13. As for Escondido, their defeat ended a six-game streak of wins at home and dropped them to 14-5.

Both squads are looking forward to the support of their home crowds in their upcoming games. Ramona will host Fallbrook at 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday. One thing working in Fallbrook's favor is that they have posted at least 55 points in their last five contests. As for Escondido, a feisty cat fight is on tap when the Escondido Cougars face off against the Valley Center Jaguars at 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday. Valley Center is strutting in with some offensive muscle as they've averaged 58.2 points per game this season.